Relic from the seas
by Dr Facer
Summary: She was found at the bottom of the ocean, where she slept for over a hundred years. Finding herself in a future where everything she knows and cares about is long gone, Splash Woman must now face the challenge of discovering a new purpose, as well as dealing with the repercussions her awakening has caused to the lives of X and Alia... *Season 2 starts here!
1. Chapter 1

Megaman and all related characters are property of Capcom.

 **Relic from the seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

-1-

Tsunami Mako, a well-respected ocean explorer, found the object far in the north seas, deep in the freezing waters of the Siberian Ocean, in the middle of what was later confirmed to be the remains of a sunken ship over a century old. People from Cossack Laboratories were brought in to supervise extraction of the finding. The human archeologist in charge of the procedures deemed it the most valuable object in the underwater wreckage and one of the most amazing discoveries in decades.

Three days later, the object had been moved to a warehouse in Kovalyov Harbor, and there it remained untouched. The Cossack Laboratories personnel insisted on waiting until two people of particular interest arrived. One was Viktor Cossack, current president of the company and expert in the fields of ancient robotics, the other was the Maverick Hunter known as X.

The object remained there for two additional days before Viktor and X were both able to arrive.

=0=

Viktor Cossack was in his early forties, and possessor of both a gifted intellect and a cunning business sense. He had taken charge of his family's company after his father was murdered by Sigma during the fifth Maverick uprising, and under his guidance the company had tripled its value in a matter of years. A tall and slim man, he was not as interested in politics as his father had been, and saw his permanent position in the High Command, an international organization which oversaw different political aspects, as a necessary hindrance. He was also a devoted family man, just like his ancestors had been.

His specialty in robotics, however, was why he was here in Kovalyov Harbor, waiting and enduring the freezing cold.

"Temperature here is only three degrees Celsius, darling. You will get sick unless you wear a coat. You are more susceptible to it than I am."

Viktor looked back and smiled at his wife. He had married her several years ago and of course she hadn't aged a single day since. She was a female reploid, after all, and a very attractive human looking one at that, or at least that's what he believed. He recalled how much his father had opposed his marriage, but when they installed the artificial womb on his wife and they had their first son, his parents had finally warmed up to the idea. Viktor grinned discreetly as he recalled his father claiming falling in love with machines was something that, for better or for worse, did run in the family. His father had obviously referenced the old family history of Kalinka Cossack's lifelong infatuation with Robot Master DLN-000, the fabled and legendary Proto Man.

"My smart-suit regulates my body temperature well enough," the scientist argued, putting aside his recollection of old family tales for the time being. "Don't forget it has that function included."

"I still think you should wear a coat," she said as she followed him into the pier's landing platform while looking at the information relayed by her data pad. "Our guests from Maverick Hunter HQ will arrive here in five minutes. Oh, this is interesting; my sister is coming as well."

"I imagined she would. She has been staying close to X ever since the Jakob project failed last year."

"I knew that," Nina Cossack said. "She told us as much the last time she visited."

"Hmm… from a family history point of view, it would be interesting if they…"

Viktor Cossack fell silent as two beams of light hit ground in front of him, revealing Maverick Hunter X and Navigator Alia appearing before him. This was surprising, since he had expected them to arrive on the transport he had sent for them.

"I see you were not able to wait until the helicopter got you here," Nina observed with a grin aimed at her younger sister. "It is risky teleporting from one of those vehicles, you know?"

"Apologies for that, we simply couldn't wait," Alia said. "But X traced our course efficiently; we didn't put anyone at risk by beaming down here."

"You could have called to let us know," Nina sighed. "Unimportant now, I guess. But I am glad that you got here unharmed."

"It is nice seeing you both again," Viktor said, reaching out to take X's hand in his. "You in particular, X. Are you as excited as I am about the discovery?"

"Perhaps even more than you, Doctor Cossack," X stated with an enthusiastic grin. "If what you said over the commlink is true…"

"It may be the most important finding in a decade!" Viktor completed.

X and Viktor, both almost unable to contain their excitement, entered the warehouse without looking back. They weren't followed by Nina and Alia, who while feeling great interest about the discovery, were truly nowhere near as energized as their men and had instead decided to stay behind for a bit and talk a little.

"When are you marrying X, sister?" Nina asked once the men were out of earshot. "Reploid marriage has been legal for many years now and my son would gladly welcome a cousin to play with."

"Not the time to talk about that," Alia answered, her systems relaying that her inner servomotors had slightly overheated due to emotional response the idea of marriage and building a reploid child with X had triggered, which meant, much to her dismay, that she had flushed at her sister's comment. "And he… he doesn't even know what I feel for him yet."

"He hasn't even expressed interest in the cosmetic changes that you came to us for?" Nina said as she appreciated her younger sister's improved figure and hair, a courtesy she had given Alia a few weeks prior the Jakob disaster. "Typical male, more fascinated by his job than by any attracted woman. You will have to tell him, then."

"I… I don't think I'm ready for that. It feels odd, the only reason we reploids exist is X. Sometimes I feel like… like I have feelings for my own father and…"

The older sister leaned closer and stared at Alia right in the eyes. "Don't be an idiot. Your design is based on mine, and it is so far removed from X's that the only relation you or I have with him is that our I.C.s are based on his, same as all other reploids."

"And the way said I.C. works is what gives us independence and a sense of self, which is the most important aspect," Alia disputed.

"Not different than how all humans share a basic DNA structure," Nina contested. "You are only making excuses now."

Alia couldn't find an answer to that, as she knew her sister was fundamentally right.

"Aren't you girls coming?" Viktor Cossack called from inside the warehouse.

"We're going, just give us a minute!" Nina said then turned to look at her sister. "Alia, tell him soon, you never know when a rival for his affections may appear."

=0=

While the capsule was similar to the one X had been found within almost twenty years ago, the figure contained inside was decidedly different. The capsule had unfortunately been damaged, and sea water had filtered through the cracked duraglass. No attempts at opening it had been made yet, but the preliminary scans indicated that the parts stored with the robot which rested inside had been corroded and damaged by the cold, salty ocean waters beyond repair. The additional pieces of machinery inside the capsule were of no immediate importance, however, for the actual robot was apparently undamaged and that was all that truly mattered.

"I have never seen something like her before," Alia said once she and Nina caught up with X and Viktor, who were by then standing in front of the capsule; a capsule that had a now fading Light Labs logo.

"Neither have I," Nina agreed, looking attentively at the blue and white figure inside the capsule. It was a female Robot Master; and a very rare one as well since it was a marine model shaped after a mythical creature: a mermaid.

"I've seen her files in my family's records; I know who she is," Viktor intervened then, his voice overflowing with barely contained excitement. "I present to you DLN-067, her name was Splash Woman!"

"DLN? Does that mean she really is a Lightbot?" X asked, eyes never leaving the capsule, taking in every single detail of the mermaid like robot. "Will I be able to talk to her?"

"We can try to activate her if she's intact," Doctor Cossack said. "She is a marine robot and her inner systems should have been properly insulated, but we don't know if they still are. We also need to keep in mind that she may never be operational again since even if her body is in good condition, her I.C. might not be."

"Her I.C. and her body _will_ be intact," X predicted, anxiousness creeping in his voice. "Let's open the capsule now, Doctor Cossack."

"We really should wait for the rest of the team for that, X," the scientist said. "I brought you here early to show you the capsule because, after all, it is related to you somehow, but we cannot open it carelessly. We will in a couple of hours, don't worry."

"I don't want to wait!" X challenged with an uncharacteristic frown. "I can't wait! Doctor Cossack, please open the capsule. I promise to take full responsibility for any eventuality, it's just that…"

"X, I understand how you feel, but this is a breach of protocol and…"

"It is a personal request, Viktor. From one friend to another," X pleaded. "I'll beg if you want to, but please… do me this one favor."

"From a friend to another, then," Viktor Cossack said after a moment of silent contemplation.

"Viktor, you can't…" Nina started.

"I own the company that salvaged the capsule and I'm also one of the few roboticists who still have knowledge on the Robot Masters. Hell, I could even build one if I wanted," Viktor interrupted. "I think I have the authority and the knowledge to do this."

"Is it possible to awaken her?" Alia asked.

"According to the readings I got she only has one power unit left. We could do it but I'd rather we simply open the capsule and wait until after we recharge her power core so that her electronic brain has a nice supply of energy to draw from during activation."

"How long will that take?" X was anxious.

"I estimate twenty four hours to make sure she's fully charged," Viktor calculated. "It is the best we can do, X."

Saying no more, the scientist approached the capsule and began working on the controls, happily surprised to discover they were operational enough to safely open it without causing any damage to the robot within.

Behind Viktor, Mega Man X observed the procedures with an expression of fretfulness so alien in him that Alia could do nothing but experience a fierce, irrational apprehension invade her.

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading this story.

I.C. stands for Intergrated Circuit, which is the source of a Robot Master's personality, and something that regular robots in the Mega Man universe lack. While there aren't many mentions on I.C.s on X's timeline, they are mentioned and shown in the Mega Man X manga as serving the same purpose as in the original series, therefore, I believe that X's (and Zero's) I.C. is an advanced or second generation one that allows him (and Zero) to be so unique, and this is the one that Dr. Cain had trouble with and only managed to duplicate to a certain extent which would in turn explain the possibility of irregular behavior that flaws regular reploids as well as their weakness to the Maverick virus.

Events from Mega Man X8 are of course referenced in the story, including the Jakob project and Alia's redesign fromX7 to X8 that made her body and hair more feminine looking and less 'blocky' in appearance.


	2. Chapter 2

**Relic from the seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

-2-

" _These parts and the blueprints contained in the capsule's memory must be delivered to Doctor Cossack, no matter the cost."_

" _I'll make sure they are delivered, but who will he build with them?_ "

" _The parts and specifications are for his female counterpart; Doctor Light doesn't have the time to complete her, he's too busy with him and other than Wily, who is already dead, the only other roboticist alive capable of completing her construction is Doctor Cossack._ "

" _Female counterpart? Like Roll? So she will be our youngest sister?_ "

" _I don't think so. Doctor Light called this one Eve-Y._ "

" _Ah. An Eve to X's Adam, then. I must say that's quite… unusual, from father._ "

" _Everything about X is already unusual enough._ "

" _You sound as if you don't like our youngest brother._ "

" _I don't like how Light created him. But he's our brother and he has a right to exist, and I will fight to preserve that right if I have to._ "

" _It seems we will have to, look behind you!_ "

" _Bass, I should have known you'd come. But I won't let you stop us!_ "

" _You will try! All Lightbots must be destroyed and no more will be created, I promise you that! Pirate Man, sink this ship while I destroy this fool!_ "

" _You deal with Bass, I can handle Pirate Man._ "

" _Sounds like a plan. Please don't die, I'd hate to lose you too!_ "

" _You won't. Now stop Bass, and be careful!_ "

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading.

Short chapter, but the information presented here is important and will be expanded on later.


	3. Chapter 3

**Relic from the seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

-3-

 _Reading energy levels…__

Complete:_

Power core: 100%_

Weapon energy: 100%_

[All systems online]_

 _Analyzing memory...__

Memory analysis completed_

 _Database damaged. Initializing database diagnostic…__

99.9999% information retrieved_

Three files not found:_

 _Searching for missing files…__

Missing files located:_

First law of robotics: [Error: Not found]_

Second law of robotics: [Error: Not found]_

Third law of robotics: [Error: Not found]_

 _WARNING_ :_

Activation with no laws of robotics may cause programming to become unstable and damage the Integrated Circuit in the electronic brain of this unit_

Activate all systems? [Y/N]_

 _Hold activation…__

Search memory for primary objectives at moment of deactivation to determine if reactivation is essential_

 _Three Primary Objectives identified__

Primary objective at the moment of deactivation: Protect Eve-Y_

Secondary objective at the moment of deactivation: Deliver Eve-Y to Doctor Cossack_

Tertiary objective at the moment of deactivation: If needed, assist Eve-Y in completing her function_

Memory files indicate emergency situation compromised all primary objectives at moment of deactivation_

Activate all systems? [Y/N]_

 _Yes__

=0=

Light.

Light was the first thing her open optics registered once her failsafe program had finished analyzing her systems, evaluated her situation and finally authorized full activation, rebooting her personality and memory banks. But something happened then. As life bringing energy finally coursed through her now ancient microcircuits, her artificial brain struggled for an instant to bring forth coherent thought. The lack of the Three Laws of robotics should have rendered her immobile until a certified operator introduced them; it was protocol. But after the initial struggle, which in real time lasted only half a second, she was able to bypass the absence of the Three Laws and instead clung to the most basic need she could identify:

Learning where she was and if completing her primary objectives was still possible.

She blinked three times to allow her photoreceptors time to adjust to the luminosity levels of the room she was in, which allowed electric impulses moving through her miraculous artificial brain to evaluate the information obtained by her optics. She was in a lab, of that she was certain. The next step was to activate her RMC field to cover a large area around her, which combined with the sonar function of her audio microprocessors helped her identify several signatures that belonged to robots of models she could not recognize; furthermore, the robots around her didn't 'speak' any programming language she was familiar with, but she reasoned she could be able to control them if she studied them for a few minutes, as this wasn't any different from the times she had worked in countries that used region-specific coding. She also detected a human in the adjacent room; a human and three machines, one machine she identified as something with a structure similar to that of a Robot Master, while the other two were apparent reproductions that she decided to ignore until she acquired visuals that would allow her to further evaluate them. She tried connecting to any servers in order to search and download information about her location and the people there, but discovered none. She _could_ detect a powerful signal that she believed was the equivalent of the internet she was designed to interface with, but it was something she could not connect to as she was.

She had performed this quick evaluation of her surroundings in just two seconds, and decided that given the circumstances she would need to gather information the human way, which meant she had to move. The miniature servomotors powering artificial tendons and muscles whirred nearly inaudibly under her metal armor as she tried her arms and torso. Finding that her limbs were in perfect working order she moved to a sitting position on the table she was resting on. She glanced around the empty room and decided it was unfortunate Concrete Man or Guts Man were not here, otherwise she could have asked them to let her perch on their broad shoulders as they carried her to where she wanted to go.

She lowered her head in disappointment. Not having a friend here to help her move meant she would have to use her land mode, which was still pretty much untested at the time she was deactivated. She feared using it now could render her defenseless and immobile but she did have to leave the room. She clenched her left hand into a fist and decided activating said function was an imperative; she had to find out if Eve-Y was safe! Hoping for the best, she activated the experimental subroutine and her mermaid tail quickly bifurcated and with a flash of light, transformed in a pair of well made, functional legs ending in two armored boots that matched the rest of her blue armor. She smiled, pleased that even after more than a century, Doctor Light's clever transformation system still worked well enough. Her smile turned into a frown almost immediately, however. She had only transformed her tail once before, and she had not walked in that occasion, since walking didn't feel natural to her. Doubting for a microsecond, she slid off the table and simply stood there, afraid of taking her first step.

It was then that she wondered why the human and the three other machines had not yet entered the room to help her. Didn't they have sensors monitoring her condition? Where they not aware she was awake? Impossible. At the very least the one she believed to be a Robot Master should know she was functional.

Then why?

It was then the door opened and he entered the room.

He. Mega Man X.

The last Lightbot.

She had seen him only once in a video, but she could recognize him well enough: Mega Man X.

He was followed by two female… androids? And a human, but she didn't pay any attention to them. Her mind focused entirely on X. Doctor Light's final masterpiece and heir.

"We were worried," he said, "I was worried. We feared your systems and memory banks…"

"You are…" her voice module shut down and she felt it short circuit, stopping her from speaking. Having no other means of immediate communication, she tried to approach him, but with no previous practice walking, she tripped and fell forward.

But she never hit the ground.

Because X caught her before that. The moment he saw her stagger, he activated his leg thrusters and dashed to her so quickly he almost vanished from sight. X had not only stopped her fall, he now carried her close to his chest, feeling a very strong need to protect this robot who was the only living link to his past that he had left. He couldn't let her get hurt.

She blinked, perplexed by his actions. He didn't know her and yet had been kind enough to help her. Just like his predecessor would have done. She tried speaking again, but her voice module was completely gone and all she managed was to let a strand of smoke out from her mouth.

" _So, the mermaid gains legs and upon meeting the prince she loses her voice,_ " she thought annoyed by her circumstances. " _How conveniently Andersenian. I just hope I don't end up dissolving into foam at some point. That would be stupid as well as unpleasant._ "

"It seems her voice box burned out," Viktor Cossack said, looking at the information on his data pad. "Or at least that's what the scanner seems to detect. I can fix her, but it will take time for me to make a new box that fits her, I'm afraid none of her parts is produced these days so I'll have to make it here. Might as well ask her for her schematics so I can duplicate her whole body, too, just in case."

"I'll assist you," Nina said, staring at the ancient Robot Master with great curiosity.

"And I appreciate your help," X said with a smile, then he looked at the artificial woman in his arms. "Doctor Viktor Cossack is the best roboticist alive today, I'm sure he'll have your spares ready right away. You'll be speaking again in no time, isn't that great?"

Still feeling uncertain and confused by his actions, all Splash Woman could do was offer him a nod and a polite smile while he carried her into the next room, following the human scientist who was already explaining how he'd replicate her busted voice box.

Alia, however, did not follow X and the others. Not immediately, anyway. She simply stood there in silence, evaluating what she had just seen and how she felt about it.

"Aren't you coming, sister?" Nina called.

"Yes… sorry, I was just… I was thinking," She offered. It was true, she did think it was good for X to finally have a solid connection to his mysterious past but at the same time…

At the same time she realized this could threaten his connection to her.

And Alia didn't like how much that scared her.

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading.

I'm sure you won't mind the very direct references made to certain tale penned by Andersen. It was too perfect not to do it.

RMC Field: Robot Master Control field. Robot Masters are supposed to be able to control all other robots they come in contact with, so I figured Robot Masters could generate some sort of field that allows them to connect with and control regular robots easily.


	4. Chapter 4

**Relic from the seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

-4-

She stood at the edge of the docks, staring at the waves in silence and remembering what had happened the day before after X had carried her to the temporary laboratory where Doctor Cossack was working. Splash Woman recalled the moment she had seen the open capsule, and within it the now-useless parts which, long ago, would have been used to create Eve-Y. Seeing them meant she had failed her primary objectives, and the implication caused her electronic brain, already strained by operating without the Three Laws of robotics, to cease all but the most basic functions while it evaluated the information and decided on a course of action.

In other words she had collapsed, suffering the equivalent of what humans called fainting.

She came to several hours later, only to find X sitting at her side. She soon learned he had been there looking after her the whole time, an unexpected development which only increased her uneasiness around him. And to make matters worse, her electronic brain had restarted with no clear solution to offer after her problem-solving subroutines had spent hours running simulations, trying to find a possible course of action that could compensate or substitute the loss of both the Laws of robotics and the Primary objectives.

In all fairness, her systems _had_ presented her with three options, leaving the choice of the preferred course of action to her conscious, more analytical mind.

She didn't like any of the options, however.

" _What am I supposed to do?_ " she thought as she climbed down the steps so she could walk on the snow-covered sand around the far end of the docks. " _None of the solutions are plausible, are they?_ "

Splash Woman walked for a long while until she sat down on a rock and opened the hidden compartment in her boots where her fin parts were stored. She held them in her hands for a moment and then used them to assemble a simple harp. Pleased that she could at least still do this, she started playing a melancholic melody, hoping the soft notes of her music would aid her tired electronic brain select the best option.

Focusing on the song she played to the ocean, she started evaluating the situation again, trying to decide which one of her three options she should choose.

 _Option 1: Abandon primary objectives, ask Doctor Cossack to reinstall the Three Laws of robotics on her and ask for a new purpose._

 _Option2: Use current technology to attempt building Eve-Y using the partial information stored in her own databanks._

 _Option 3: Replace Eve-Y so that her function is completed._

Splash Woman didn't honestly like any of those options. The first one was the safest, but she had already gotten used to functioning without the Three Laws and since there was no chance she would be reprogrammed into a combat unit again by a mad scientist, she didn't feel it was necessary to ask for the laws to be reinstalled since hurting humans was the last thing she would ever do. She did want a new purpose, but she couldn't just decide on one by herself, could she? A human or a Robot Master with higher hierarchy had to assign her a job or a purpose; that was how things worked. But there weren't any other Robot Masters from her time still active who outranked her and her programming no longer forced her to obey orders from human beings. In other words she was free to do as she wanted, but she didn't know what it was she actually wanted to do.

The second option was impossible. While she did possess information about Eve-Y that would allow for her body to be replicated, she didn't have anything else and wouldn't know how to program her, so an Eve-Y built under her supervision would be just an empty shell, incapable of completing the task Doctor Light had devised for her.

The third option… she missed a note as she considered it. No, that option was something she could never do. She simply wasn't capable of replacing Eve-Y that way. Eve-Y had been designed to be like X, an advanced Robot Master so far ahead of her it was literally impossible to compare their specs, and his cognitive programming was also so advanced it wasn't even funny. X was as close to a human being as an artificial man could be.

" _I… I can emulate emotions in a very accurate way but… how do I know I really feel them?_ " She wondered. If she ever decided to take Eve-Y's place, emulating emotions properly would not be enough. " _But I did feel real emotions once. I remember that feeling was not one of my preloaded responses designed to emulate a reaction. What I felt at his side was not an emulation. It was real._ "

Splash Woman, however, was not sure if she could experience those feelings again at some point. How could she? The Robot Master who sparked those strong emotional responses in her was long gone and perhaps she should have perished with him.

" _Blues…_ "

Her thoughts were interrupted by a massive form that jumped out of the water and touched ground right beside her. It was a tall robot… no, _reploid_ , she corrected, remembering the term she had heard Nina use when referring to herself and others like her. But this one was not human-looking. This one looked like a ferocious humanoid shark.

"Greetings, I am Tsunami Mako. I'm the one who found the capsule you were sleeping in."

She tilted her head to the side, waiting to see if he would provide any further information about her discovery, hoping such knowledge offered clues about the fate of her friends.

"I was wondering how you're doing?" the marine reploid asked, slightly surprised when she didn't answer his greeting. "It must be difficult adjusting to a world that is so different from what you remember, right?"

The Robot Master nodded and placed her harp on her knees, waiting for him to continue.

"I… I guess that is why you were here alone," Mako said, interpreting her silence as him upsetting her peace. He realized that she was probably having trouble understanding the new technology around her and the idea of reploids being so prominent in society. He also started fearing he was making her uncomfortable. Not wanting to give her a bad impression, he bowed as courteously as he could and pointed back at the sea.

"It seems I came at a bad time. I'll visit you again once you are more accustomed to the idea of living in our times. Please excuse my rudeness."

Saying nothing more, Mako jumped back into the ocean, vanishing in a matter of seconds.

She wondered what the shark reploid had truly wanted from her but, being busy with her own problems, Splash Woman soon forgot about him and continued considering her options and remembering certain grey and red armored Robot Master who had a penchant for whistling and wearing yellow scarves. A robot who, like her now, never had the Three Laws installed, but who never gave up and always strived to do the right thing, to live life his way and to the fullest.

" _Maybe I should try to get to know X better, I think that is what Blues would ask me to do,_ " she decided and started playing her harp again, reproducing the simple notes that characterized his whistle and smiling tenderly as she remembered him.

Yes, she would try to be friendly with X first. She could decide what to do later, once she had gathered enough information about him.

It was probably the best course of action she could take.

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading this chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

**Relic from the seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

-5-

"I find it hard to believe she is a mechaniloid," Tsunami Mako said, arms crossed, as he observed the female robot standing still at the other end of the dock. She was staring at the ocean, not moving even under the freezing winds roaring over the piers. "She's too pretty to be a mechaniloid."

"That is because she is not one," Nina Cossack corrected. "She is a Robot Master, one of the last few ever made, actually, and now she's the only one left."

"I tried talking to her yesterday, but she didn't answer my questions," the shark-themed reploid related. "I guess I'm too specialized and don't look much like a human, I wouldn't be surprised to learn she's terrified of me."

"I doubt that," Nina said. "Her voice box malfunctioned when we woke her. She can't speak even if she wants to. But she'll be able to speak soon enough, my husband has almost finished duplicating the part."

"Oh, so it was because of that!" the marine reploid exclaimed with honest relief. "I'm glad to hear that. The last thing I want is to scare her, you know? I'm the one who found her and, to be honest, I would really like to talk to her."

"All of us want to," Nina agreed. "She has written or typed a few notes and helped Viktor with a diagram of her schematics, but other than that she hasn't told us anything useful."

"I read somewhere Robot Masters could interface with computers and other robots, can't she communicate with you that way?"

"No, Mako, she can't."

"And why is that?" The dark blue and white armored reploid asked.

"She tried to interface with our computers and our robots, but she couldn't. She's… _completely_ _obsolete_ , the ports she has built in are of a design that hasn't been used in decades, same with the programming language and coding she knows, they're no longer utilized," the female reploid explained. "Without her voice box, she has very few means to communicate and she's not using the ones available. She stated she wants to speak to us with her own voice and so far she's proven to be quite adamant about it."

"Well, why don't you give her a reploid voice box?" Mako inquired.

"We tried. She's not compatible with modern ones."

A flash of light hit the ground next to the marine Robot Master, revealing a certain blue armored Hunter. He had beamed down and carried a long box that he opened so she could see inside. She smiled, hesitated for a second and then reached into the box to pick up a golden trident. Going by her expression of gratitude, the artificial woman was very much pleased with the gift, even going as far as to hug Mega Man X.

"Ah, her Mega Trident is complete. I heard the Maverick Hunters were in charge of creating a replica. Unsurprising, they do have the best weapon R&D facilities in the world, after all. I'm honestly amazed they managed to replicate it so quickly, though," Nina Cossack indicated. She then scribbled a quick note on her datapad's screen. "Her behavior is very interesting. I was under the impression Robot Masters were not capable of expressing emotional responses this complex… then again, I'm not the expert on this, I'll have to consult with my husband, so if you'll excuse me, Mako…"

"Sure, go ahead," the shark reploid said, his eyes never leaving the scene playing out at the other end of the docks. Just for how long was X going to keep hugging her?

Feeling sickened by the unusual display of emotion, Tsunami Mako jumped into the waters and swam as far and as deep as he could. He wasn't in the mood to witness something so unbecoming.

=0=

Nina Cossack entered the provisional lab her husband had been hard at work in for the last couple of days and delivered the information she had gathered. She didn't stay to listen to his evaluation of it and after saying good bye to Viktor, beamed to the hotel her family was staying at. She had to see her son.

She found little Mikhail playing with his toys, too busy with them to notice her arrival. She silently observed him from the door and ran her fingers through her golden hair. Looking at her son play reminded her of the conversation she had with her sister not too long ago, and once again wondered if her son would ever have a cousin to play with.

Nina believed her child would never have a cousin if her idiot sister continued being the queen of shyness around Mega Man X, who was himself the king of the clueless.

" _And given recent developments I'm not seeing her ever getting the man she wants…_ " Nina thought with a sad sigh.

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading this chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

**Relic from the seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

 **-6-**

"Wait, you're going to Siberia _again_?" Zero asked, not bothering with hiding the disdain in his voice. "Signas isn't happy about you being absent so much."

"Not to mention you're hurting our teamwork, the three of us haven't trained together in several days!" Axl rejoined. "What if we have a Maverick virus outbreak?"

X, who was about to exit the Maverick Hunters headquarters' resting area, stopped and turned to look at his two teammates and crossed his arms in defiance. "Sigma's dead. There haven't been any traces of the Maverick virus _or_ the Sigma virus since, well, since Lumine killed him. And that was almost a full year ago; everything has been peaceful for a change. Besides, I…"

"You've been going to Siberia every day since that capsule was found," Zero interrupted. "You normally bring all the Light capsules here for analysis, even if analyzing those things is pretty much impossible, so what is different this time? What did Tsunami Mako find?"

"Yeah, you haven't told us!" Axl said. "And Alia isn't speaking either. What was in that capsule?"

"Were they diagrams for new weapons?" Zero guessed. "Like that 'Mega Trident' you had our scientist make for you?"

"You know about that?" X asked. He had hoped Zero would not find out about the trident.

"Very interesting weapon, to be honest," the crimson hunter said. "It can shoot a powerful concentrated laser beam capable of penetrating pretty much everything, and it can be fired fifty six times with a single charge, I wouldn't mind having something like that myself."

"That weapon sounds effing awesome!" Axl exclaimed. The young hunter, a weapon specialist by nature, was very excited about the possibility of handling something so good. "Can I copy that sometime?"

"Weapon designs was only a part of it," X said. "Doctor Cossack decided not to reveal all the capsule's contents until we were sure it was safe. As for you copying that special weapon, Axl, I don't think so."

"Meh, bummer. Anyway, I have something better to do. Call me if you want to train, will ya?" Axl said and waving his friends good-bye, walked down the hallway. He had a date with Pallette later that day and was hoping she'd finally let him do certain _things_ with her again. Failing at holding back a grin worthy of a perverted teenager, Axl chuckled and thought it would be best if he bought his date a gift. Something fluffy, he decided, would probably help set the mood.

"That idiot's going to ruin his date again. Pallette is not going to let him link with her if he keeps acting like a fool," Zero announced once Axl was gone. "Yeah, _linking_. It's what adult reploids who love each other do, X; don't give me that stupid look, Doctor Cain and you both included that feature you also have in all standard reploid models, so you know about it. Besides, it's all Axl's been talking about all damned day… well, that and how you're spending so much time in Russia, that is."

"Linking was never supposed to be used like that, Zero. As for going to Russia, I do have a good reason for it," X said, purging an image of Axl linking with Pallette from his temporary memory files as he did so. "Also, can you please never mention Axl and linking again in front of me?"

"I can do that. Anyway, X, why can't you tell me what's going on? I get it, Doctor Cossack wants to keep it a secret, but you're hiding this even from me? After all we've been through together?"

X sighed. He had hoped Zero wouldn't push things this way. They had known each other for so long already, they had bled together and conquered incredible odds side by side. He was more than his best friend, he was his brother and hiding things from him was very difficult.

"The capsule had more than just things inside, Zero," X said after a moment of silence. "There was someone in the capsule."

"Someone, who?"

"A Lightbot."

"Are you serious?" The red hunter whistled. "I thought the only way to see a Lightbot these days was to either look at you or reading a history book."

"There's more, Zero. She… she's functional."

"Functional! Wait, she?" Zero frowned as he pulled all the information he had about the Lightbot series from his databanks. "Is it DLN-002?"

"Roll?" X said, recalling DLN-002 had been the designated serial number of the original Mega Man's sister ( _and because of this X considered Roll his older sister as well, though he kept this hidden to avoid possible jokes made at his expense_ ). "No, the one Tsunami Mako found is called Splash Woman, DLN-067."

"I don't know her."

"I didn't either, but according to Doctor Cossack she was one of the last Robot Masters produced by Light Labs and there's not much information on her."

"And she is functional…" Zero leaned on the wall. "She can change the way we look at history, X! Now I see why you and Doctor Cossack are keeping quiet about this, what are you going to do with her?"

"We… we're hoping she can decide by herself once she's able to speak again," X said. "Her voice box burned when she was reactivated."

"Decide?" Zero had trouble believing what he was hearing. "She's a Robot Master, X. From what we know they can't make those choices, they weren't even better than our current mechaniloids."

"She _is_ different," the blue hunter challenged. "You just don't know her and she… she's almost like all reploids that were made based on my design. I think she has free will, Zero."

"Well, if you wish to believe that, then that's fine by me," the crimson hunter said, not feeling like arguing over something X obviously felt so strongly about. "And who knows? If you say so then perhaps it's true. I guess I can judge when I meet her."

"About that…"

"You don't want me to meet her, do you?"

"Not yet."

"And the reason for that is?"

"She's still adjusting, Zero," X said cautiously. "It's been over a century since the last time she was active. She is dealing with the concept of being obsolete. You know that can't be easy… I don't want to overwhelm her."

"Fair enough, but that still doesn't explain why you visit her _every_ day," Zero said. "Oh well, I'll meet her when you think she's ready. Who knows, she may even join the Maverick Hunters, too."

"I hope she never has to," the blue armored hunter said. "Listen, Zero, I do have to go now, so…"

"Of course, don't keep the lady waiting," Zero said, holding back a good natured grin as his friend teleported out of Hunters HQ.

Once alone, the crimson hunter made his way to the control room, there was someone he wanted to see and talk to, and her shift was about to end.

=0=

"I'm sorry to tell you this, Alia, but you look miserable," Pallette said after she logged out of her terminal so the next navigator could use it freely. "Will you tell us what's going on?"

Alia looked up from her terminal and rubbed her temples with a tired hand. The senior Navigator didn't feel like talking, all she wanted was to go home and rest. Not that she could rest. She had spent the last few days wondering about X and what he did when he visited that marine Robot Master. Had he found a way to communicate with her? It certainly seemed so, otherwise he wouldn't have asked Douglas and his mechanic team down at the weapon R&D lab to make that stupid 'Mega Trident' for her, something X didn't tell her about. The only reason why she knew X had requested that weapon was because she asked Douglas and he told her. This had never happened before, after the incident with Gate during the sixth Maverick uprising, when she opened up to X and told him about his troubled past, they had agreed to avoid keeping secrets between them. But _she_ had changed it all. Splash Woman's activation had opened a schism that separated her from X in a way she had never considered possible.

"HQ to Alia?" Pallette tried. "Alia, you went blank for five seconds, are you malfunctioning?"

"I… I'm alright," the blonde navigator said. "Just thinking about something."

"Something you are refusing to talk about and is obviously keeping your systems two steps away from overloading," Layer, who had also just completed her shift, indicated as she sat next to her two friends. "I agree with Pallette, you do need to tell us what's bothering you."

"Believe me, I would like to talk about it," Alia sighed. "But I can't, not yet… I'm just not ready."

"Is it related to Captain X's visits to Russia?" Pallette ventured. "I tried monitoring him once in case something bad was going on, but he blocks the HQ signal so I couldn't do it."

"That's something we can work around if necessary," Layer said. "I can do it tomorrow if you want me to, Alia."

"I say you girls should let X have his space," a voice interrupted then.

The trio of navigators looked up to find Commander Zero standing by the door. The crimson hunter nodded at them and leaned on one of the many unused terminals before he continued speaking.

"I just talked to X, there's nothing wrong with him. He's busy helping Doctor Cossack with something very important, he'll go back to his usual schedule once this project is complete. I'll even mention this to Signas tomorrow, too," Zero said, offering what he hoped would be a sensible explanation that would also help covering a little for his best friend.

"If that's the case then why isn't Alia helping as well?" Layer wondered. "She was summoned to Siberia as well."

"Correct, one would assume Doctor Cossack would appreciate her many talents," Pallette added.

"X didn't say that much," Zero answered in what he hoped was a relaxed tone. He hadn't anticipated the girls would ask any further questions. "Perhaps he…"

"Doctor Cossack didn't invite me," Alia said then, her voice low and ashamed. "I asked X if I could go with him and he agreed to take me along. It's alright… I would like to help on this assignment, but I understand if my services aren't required… this is what I've been thinking about, girls. The work is done exclusively by Cossack Laboratories and even if I am really interested I just can't ask them to let me participate. I… I can't ask X either and… I honestly feel left out…"

"You should ask them anyway," Pallette said, wondering why Alia was acting like this over something that could be easily fixed. Judging by how depressed her friend had been for days, she had imagined her problem was something of fatal proportions.

"I agree, there's no way they would turn you down, Alia," said Layer with a soft smile. "You are a brilliant researcher and your knowledge about reploid development is an asset to anybody working on your field. Ask X, I am sure he will be glad to have you on Cossack's team."

"Perhaps I will," Alia said as she stood up and picked up her data pad. She was aware Pallette had things to do after her shift and suspected Zero wanted to take Layer somewhere. Alia didn't want to be the reason why her friends couldn't have some well-deserved fun, so she concluded going home was the best that she could do. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go home to work on some personal research."

"Sure, Alia," Layer said. "Call us if you need something, ok?"

"Yeah, don't forget we're here for you, we'll help you if we can," Pallette offered.

"I'll remember it, thank you both," Alia said and after giving her friends a soft smile, she beamed out of Maverick Hunter HQ.

"She's never going to ask for help," Pallette stated then. "Not if this has anything to do with X."

"I believe she will," Layer said. "But not until she has no other choice."

"Well, I guess all we can do is wait," Zero concluded.

=0=

Her apartment was small, neat and well-organized. She didn't own a lot of furniture and what she had was covered by well-catalogued and numbered boxes containing extractible memory discs, platinum chips, old school printed books and manuals and several digital video discs, all of these full with information she had accumulated through the years.

Normally, she would go over some of this information to pass the time, but she found the idea unappealing that afternoon. All Alia could do was to enter her bedroom and drop down on the only couch she owned. Glancing at her home, the idea of how bare it was, save all the information she kept mostly for the sake of keeping it, finally struck her.

" _It wasn't always like this,_ " she reflected, remembering how it used to be back when she and Gate worked together. Things were good back then, they even lived together for a while and had mutual friends, their lives were normal. But then Gate became obsessed with creating reploids so advanced they could defy all analysis and in doing so he slipped into madness until…

"Until I had to help retire Gate's eight advanced reploids," she muttered, staring at her hands and remembering using her own weapons system to… destroy, Gate's creations. He never forgave her and went into hiding, eventually infecting himself willingly with the Maverick virus just to quench his thirst for revenge.

She had sworn off relationships after that, focusing on her work so intensely she even believed that emotions where nothing but a distraction, something that machines didn't need.

Until she met _him_.

Mega Man X.

He welcomed her into the Maverick Hunter team without reservations and eventually, by showing her how much he cared about everyone even in the middle of the battlefield, had helped her recover her faith in everything that was good and right. Thanks to him she finally understood that blocking out everyone was not the answer. He gave her hope.

And that was why she fell in love with him.

Unfortunately, and she could understand this well enough, her previous experiences had made it difficult for her to approach the one she cared about and instead opted to caught his eye by using subtler methods, like changing her appearance to be more feminine looking.

" _But I also did this so I wouldn't look the same as when Gate and I were together…_ " she thought, staring at her reflection on the mirror hanging from the opposite wall. " _So I could be free of the past when we…_ "

Alia stopped there and reached for a data pad, which she turned on and opened the image her sister had sent her earlier. An image of X holding a smiling Splash Woman in his arms. The photo arrived with a note: 'You better do something soon about X, because _her_ emotional responses are almost reploid level now and they keep improving for some reason I can't understand.'

She stared at the image, tried to feel upset about it, to feel angry and jealous… but she couldn't. Because X looked so happy and he hardly ever had reasons to be happy. And if Splash Woman's presence was able to make him experience happiness then Alia could only be thankful to her, even if seeing Splash Woman with him was breaking her heart into little pieces.

" _I just wished I knew what I should do… X…_ "

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading this chapter

As Toki pointed out in his review, the Nina here is indeed named after the character from the Breath of Fire RPG series of the same name that Capcom also publishes. This will play a little bit in future chapters, but there's a long way to go until that happens.


	7. Chapter 7

**Relic from the seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

-7-

The replica of the Light labs' voice box was perfect in every way, and Viktor Cossack felt quite satisfied by what he had accomplished. He had spent several days working on this small device and, now that he had completed it, he was forced to admit the only way he had managed to duplicate it was thanks to the detailed schematics Splash Woman had given him. He was already working on a full body duplicate, a duplicate that, while still maintaining her design in every way, was pretty much up to date in terms of armor, power core, communication systems and inner circuitry. Of course, the professor would not force Splash Woman to upgrade to the new body once it was built, but he would offer the option.

"I'll also ask her to let me update her modem and ports so she can interface with our signals and computers," Viktor muttered as he placed the little device on his table. "Well, not that I'll have to, she is a Robot Master after all and she can't disobey an order from a human unless it conflicts with the Three Laws of robotics. I'll just have to update or change her OS and install the new ports, it shouldn't take more than a few hours."

He stood from his chair so he could stretch, popping his back as he arched his frame this way and that. He had been sitting all morning, and he felt as if his spine had turned to stone. Some coffee, Viktor decided as he ran a hand over his reddish beard, was more than necessary.

He found his wife sitting by the coffee machine in the lab's kitchen, enjoying a cup of the hot beverage herself. It always amazed him that she had developed the habit of drinking it. Reploids like her could consume foodstuffs, of course, but most of them never ingested them since the amount of energy they could obtain thereby was minimal. Drinks rich in alkaloids like tea and coffee, however, were more popular amongst the reploidkind since their chemical composition was something from which their systems could somehow extract an adequate amount of energy. This reminded him that wine was also something a few reploids had developed a taste for, since alcohol was easily converted into energy and it provided them with a nice 'buzz'. In fact, although reploids would need to ingest higher amounts than humans, it was possible for them to get drunk.

"You look happy," Nina observed, placing her cup on the table to greet her husband.

"I am, and for a good reason," he smiled, focusing his attention on the beautiful blonde female reploid. "I have finally completed Splash Woman's voice box."

"So quickly? You said it would still take you another day!"

"I was able to get a few parts beamed here earlier," he explained as he sat next to Nina. "I'll go look for her after this so we can install it right away; I just hope she didn't go too far."

"Oh, I'm sure she's with X somewhere," Nina said. "Or swimming a few kilometers away from the coast. Splash Woman has become quite independent during the last couple of days, in case you haven't noticed."

"I read your reports on her behavior," Viktor said while pouring some coffee on his cup. "It's not surprising, she is programmed to be that way."

"What do you mean?"

"She was a rescue robot back then; her primary function is saving passengers from sinking boats or helping lost ships find a safe route to port," the scientist explained. "According to the information on her schematics, she was programmed to be independent because her work required her to spend large amounts of time on her own."

"So… she is always coming and going by herself because it's part of her programming?" Nina said, feeling a little bit relieved after learning that what she imagined would be abnormal behavior was simply part of Splash Woman's programming, still… that didn't explain some of the other things she had noticed. "But, what about her reactions to X?"

Viktor drank some of his coffee as he considered his answer. He had noticed a somewhat subtle yet consistent shift in Splash Woman's behavior when X was near. That intrigued him as he was not completely familiar with the way a Robot Master's electronic brain operated or adapted to different situations, but he imagined her conduct was fairly normal as far as Robot Masters went.

"There's a chance that her responses to X are completely normal," Viktor said. "There's too much about Robot Masters that we don't know today."

"Are you saying she could possibly be almost as advanced as _we_ reploids are?" Nina said with a displeased frown. "I'm sorry, Viktor, but that's just impossible! She… she's so… _primitive_!"

"She is by today's standards, my dear; but that's where the genius of her design lies," the man disputed gently. "Consider that the simplicity of her programming, at least when compared to that of you reploids, may be what allows her to adapt to different situations in ways we can't comprehend today. I'm not saying she's as advanced as any of you, just that the way she functions is something that we don't know anything about. She's a complete mystery."

"I must admit you are right," the blonde reploid conceded. "And as a programmer myself I can accept that her coding is something that intrigues me."

"As for X, I'm not surprised he visits her every day," Viktor said after finishing his coffee. "She is very important to him."

"I know that, and I can understand it," Nina Cossack said. "I just wish he brought Alia with him, I would like for my sister to look at the data on Splash Woman I've collected."

"That's not a bad idea," the roboticist said as he got up. "In fact, I'll go ask Maverick Hunter HQ if we can borrow her services. I'm sure Signas will let her come help us with this project."

"I'd appreciate it if you do that," Nina said, watching as her husband left the kitchen. The white and pale blue armored reploid smiled discreetly then. She knew her sister's assistance would help their research progress faster, but that was just an excuse to have her here. The real reason she wanted Alia in the lab was because she hoped it would stop X from getting more interested than necessary in that ancient Robot Master.

=0=

He found her on the snowy beach, sitting on her usual stone, gazing at the ocean with thoughtful eyes. He wondered what occupied her thoughts and as he approached her, finally noticing she had her trident by her side. That was odd, since she normally left it at the laboratory Viktor Cossack had commissioned near the docks. Mega Man X stopped once he was at her side, and waited until she turned to see him before sitting down on the snow.

They sat there in silence for almost a minute before she did something he wasn't expecting. She touched his shoulder and then made room for him so he could sit by her side.

"Are you sure?" He asked. This wasn't the first time she had touched him, but it was the first time she had invited him to sit near her. Normally, she would just allow him to walk with her and listened to him talk about the comings and goings at Maverick Hunter HQ, but she always remained a little distant during their interactions.

She nodded and offered him a smile.

"Thank you," he said, returning the smile and sitting at her side. He noticed his right hip and leg were touching hers, and it amazed him that she felt… warm. This was slightly unusual, since mechaniloids couldn't normally regulate their temperature unless they were ice or fire-based, and not all reploids could emulate human temperature. He didn't know that Robot Masters had that function as well.

[ _010110010110111101110101001000000110000101110010011001010010000001110111011001010110110001100011011011110110110101100101_ ]

X blinked when his electronic brain decoded what to anyone else, including most reploids, would have been nothing but static. But no. It was not static. She had somehow transmitted a message to him. A message in binary. X didn't know many reploids who could still understand something as ancient as binary code without studying it first.

She had told him this: ' _You are welcome_ '.

"You can transmit in binary?"

Splash Woman smiled and nodded again. She followed this gesture with another long string of ones and zeroes, indicating she hadn't tried to communicate with him that way because she wasn't sure if he could understand it. The artificial mermaid then explained no other machine could decipher it so she abandoned the idea, and only tried it with him because she knew he had been built over a century ago and she hoped he could understand it, she then mentioned how glad she was it had worked.

"And I'm happy you tried," X said, feeling glad this had happened. "One of Doctor Cain's biggest problems when replicating me was that he couldn't understand binary very well… maybe that's why some reploids go maverick, I don't know… I guess it's possible he made a mistake somewhere that I didn't notice."

She perceived his mood changed from relaxed to tense when he mentioned the irregular behavior he had already told her about. Splash Woman placed her hand on his shoulder so he would look at her. She transmitted a new message and waited for him to reply.

"It's alright, really. I regret it happens but I no longer blame myself for it," he said, appreciating her concern. "I'm fine."

She sent him another string of zeroes and ones.

"Yes, I'm sure. Don't worry, I'm always like this." X offered her a smile. "It's just something I do."

She sighed and sent another message.

"Really?" he straightened and looked at her with a surprised expression. "You think I do that?"

Splash Woman replied with a new transmission.

"Well, I don't spend my time sulking," he stated. "But I can see why you would think that. I haven't been entertaining company have I?"

She shook her head and expanded on what she said with another chain of ones and zeroes.

"I'm glad to hear you think I'm interesting. I just…" X made a pause. "I just feel melancholic sometimes, but not right now. Things are good now compared to how they were for a long time."

She transmitted a response.

"You want to hear about it? Sure, I can tell you," he promised. "After your voice box is ready. That way we'll be able to talk and I'll finally listen to your voice."

Splash Woman didn't send any binary transmissions after that, but knowing he wanted to listen to her voice made her experience a reaction she identified as feeling pleased by his words, and she decided the proper response was doing something nice for him. Normally she would have sung a soothing ballad, but since she couldn't, she instead chose to offer him music. Silently, she produced her harp and then showed it to him. She grinned at his dumbfounded expression and then started playing with great skill, the notes linking into a relaxing song that X found very enjoyable and relaxing.

And as he watched her play and listened to her music, all Mega Man X could think about was how he had never met anyone like her and how special she really was.

He discovered he rather liked that.

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading this chapter.

And also, thank you all for reading, I hope you are enjoying the story so far!


	8. Chapter 8

**Relic from the seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

-8-

Splash Woman crossed her arms defensively and stared at Viktor Cossack with what was clear suspicion. She refused to move and instead turned to face X, who was standing by her side. She sent him a transmission in binary and waited for him to relay the message.

"What is going on?" the scientist asked with a good-humored smile. He was quite surprised by the current development: Splash Woman, a _robot_ , had just disobeyed a direct order from him, a _human_! That was not supposed to be possible and it was one of the most exciting things he had ever witnessed in his life. His mind was racing over the possible causes, eager to learn the correct answer.

"She says you didn't mention any changes to her OS or her ports," X explained, also a little amazed that Splash Woman had managed to refuse a command made by a human being. "I'm sorry, Doctor Cossack, but she says she won't let you put her on stasis if you're doing any changes that could affect what makes her who she is."

Nina, who stood behind Viktor, was as amazed as X and her husband were, but while the two men were seeing this in a positive light, she was instead terrified. Robot Masters were not supposed to do this. They simply _weren't_! If Splash Woman had reached this point where she could break the Three Laws of robotics, then what was left separating her from reploids that were clearly superior? Did this mean Splash Woman had already developed free will?

"She shouldn't be able to do that," Nina said as she took a step back and clutched her data pad against her chest, hoping her husband couldn't see how worried she felt. "Splash Woman is surely malfunctioning, should we shut her down to see what the problem is and then fix her?"

The Robot Master placed both hands on her hips and leaned forward, sending a loud binary message aimed at the blonde reploid hiding behind Viktor Cossack.

"I can't understand that horrible static you sent my way," Nina answered with a frown, feeling very upset by the female robot's apparently aggressive response.

"She says she's in perfect working order," X translated. "She… ah… I guess I don't need to tell you the rest?"

"Did she insult me?" Nina asked, trying now to remain calm and not raise her voice.

"What? No, of course she didn't!" the blue armored hunter rushed to say, hoping to placate Viktor's wife. "Splash Woman simply mentioned it was rude of you to say she needs to be shut down and repaired."

"She's acting strange!" Nina countered. "Robot Masters shouldn't be able to disobey orders like that!"

"That may be true, but it's something we can look into later," Viktor cut in. "What matters now is installing her new voicebox, I'm sure she will have an easier time explaining her reasons for acting this way once she can speak again."

"I agree," X said, quite relieved for Viktor's intervention.

"But…" Nina started then she stopped when her husband placed his hand over hers.

"We shouldn't be upset by her conduct," he said. "Instead, we should be amazed at her ability to do something so remarkable for a Robot Master."

Nina understood she had no other choice but to let her husband do as he proposed. That, however, didn't mean she had changed her mind, or that she would stop observing and making notes on Splash Woman's suspicious behavior.

"Very well, then," she yielded. "Let's do that. I might as well help you install the voicebox."

At that point, Splash Woman made another transmission.

"What did she say now?" Nina asked, rubbing her temples and feeling frustrated she couldn't decode binary.

"She apologizes for any trouble she may have caused," X provided. "She also says she will agree to have an OS update and the new ports, but only if she can design the OS update as well as the procedure to install the ports, since she thinks she knows her own body better than anyone."

"That's reasonable," Viktor said. "I'll provide her with the necessary information, anything else?"

"She requests that I am present during all procedures involving her, she thinks that if I'm present that I'll make sure nothing happens to her."

"We would never do anything that could put her in danger," Nina said before her husband could reply. "But if she feels safer that way then I don't see why not."

"Well, if it's all agreed, let's install that voicebox," Viktor said with a confident smile. "I'm sure Splash Woman will be pleased with the results of my work."

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading this chapter.


	9. Chapter 9

**Relic from the seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

-9-

X stood motionless and in silence, watching Viktor Cossack and his wife work on Splash Woman. The Russian scientist was doing a great job, and X judged Doctor Cossack was far more skilled than Doctor Cain had ever been, but that was to be expected; Cain had been well versed in machine design, building and programming thanks to his degree in mechanical engineering, but the late doctor had been an archaeologist first and foremost, which limited his abilities with machines somewhat.

Mega Man X fixated his optics on the operating table and initiated a subroutine he devoted to watching the procedure that would warn him in case of trouble, this allowed him to dedicate his mind to other things, like wondering what would have happened if one of the Cossacks had found him instead of Doctor Cain. The Cossacks had all been roboticists for generations, all of them highly brilliant. Perhaps, if that had been the case, the reploid race would have been better made, and no maverick incidents would have ever happened.

The blue hunter discarded the thought right away, feeling guilty for disrespecting Doctor Cain. He had no right to wish for things to be different, and he was forever thankful that he was discovered by a decent, honest man like Cain. X almost shuddered as he imagined being found by a treasure hunter without scruples, he could have ended scrapped and sold in pieces to collectors, a prospect which sickened him.

Deciding he had no need to think about such a grim possibility, he instead recalled when Splash Woman was put into stasis. She had looked at him with what he recognized as fear. He couldn't really understand why she was so afraid. Being put into stasis for repairs was pretty much routine for reploids and mechaniloids, and he imagined it would have been the same for Robot Masters. Perhaps she was afraid because of how long she spent deactivated, and it scared her to think it could happen again.

The subroutine told him the procedure was almost complete, so X ended it and placed his full attention on what Doctor Cossack was doing. Viktor was now securing and resealing the lateral compartment on her neck that he had opened to install the new voice module, and once he finished this task, asked Nina to reactivate the sleeping Robot Master.

Splash Woman opened her eyes and moved to a sitting position. She spent a couple of seconds in silence, her left hand resting over her throat.

"Well, how are you feeling?" Viktor asked.

She ignored the scientist and instead looked at X.

"Hello, Mega Man X," she said with a pleased tone. "I'm glad we can finally have a normal conversation."

Splash Woman then turned to regard Viktor and Nina Cossack.

"Apologies. I wasn't ignoring you, I simply needed to greet X first," she explained. "As for your question, Doctor Cossack, I feel perfect. I Thank you and your wife for helping me, I am in your debt."

"Your… your voice is beautiful," Nina observed, honestly mesmerized by the melodic sound of the Robot Master's voice. "I had never listened to something like it… it's incredible."

"Thank you for the praise," Splash Woman said with a shy smile. "My voice was especially designed to be comforting, it helped people I rescued relax while help arrived."

"It's perfect," Nina Cossack said, feeling a little guilty for mistreating the robot before. "I would love to hear you sing sometime."

Mega Man X, who was now completely enthralled by the female robot's voice, could do nothing but agree with Nina's statement.

Splash Woman's voice was beautiful.

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading this chapter.

Well, Splash Woman finally has her voice box and can speak again. Something interesting is that according to official information, she has a fantastic voice and has turned down invitations (not orders) to be a professional singer for whatever reason, perhaps she is shy singing in front of crowds.

Now that this is done, the story will start moving in a direction that I hope surprises you. Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

**Relic from the seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

-10-

Viktor Cossack stared at the information on his computer screen, amazed by what he was seeing. In front of him was a full analysis of Splash Woman's current condition, detailing her body status as well as that of her electronic brain. He had gotten it as part of the standard procedure required for putting reploids or mechaniloids in stasis; they all had by law to be connected to a computer that would monitor their functions in order to prevent any accidents. He was going to delete the diagnosis without even looking at it, but fearing that other parts inside her could be about to fail, he decided to read it before deleting it.

He wasn't prepared to see something like this, however.

" _But it does explain a lot,_ " he thought, resting his chin on his right hand.

"I brought you the tea you wanted," Nina said as she sat next to her husband, placing a cup of fine smelling tea in front of him. "What are you looking at?"

"Splash Woman's diagnosis," he said.

"You said you were going to erase it."

"And I will, I simply had to read it to make sure all her parts are working correctly."

"And what did you find?" the female reploid asked, looking at the numbers on the screen detailing the efficiency of Splash Woman's weapon system, which was operating at 100% capacity.

"Her body is in perfect conditions now, but I found records in her backup memory indicating something spent sixty years slowly repairing her inner systems, particularly her power core, part of her electronic brain, her sonar and optics. It seems she believes her self-repair system did this, but I believe it wasn't so."

"I see… then what repaired her?"

"The capsule we found her in, I think," Viktor said as he drank a sip of tea. "I analyzed the capsule yesterday. Most of the memory files were damaged, but a few of them indicate that it had to use the parts stored in it as spares to repair something. That would explain why Splash Woman was in such good condition but with only one energy unit left, and also why those parts were in such poor state, the capsule repurposed them."

"Why would it do that?"

"Well, it's quite similar to the one X was sleeping in; and that capsule was programmed to preserve and repair any complete robot stored in it," the scientist said. "I know this because I studied X's capsule when our company bought Cain labs after the fourth Maverick uprising."

"Yes, I remember you mentioned that. You also told me someone stole the capsule from your father's factory at some point," Nina recalled. "Interesting, but it doesn't explain why she's able to disobey orders from a human being, does it?"

"No, but the analysis answered that question," Viktor said with a smile. "And I admit the answer surprised me and made me admire Doctor Light's genius even more."

"Oh? Do explain," she requested.

"Some of her memory files got damaged and as a result she doesn't have the Three Laws," the roboticist stated. "No primary objectives either, at least that's what the analysis says. Ordinarily, no Robot Master would be able to function without the laws."

"And yet she's out there, visiting New Moscow with X," Nina said, recalling how X had promised he'd make sure Splash Woman wouldn't cause any trouble in the city.

"That's because her core programming is incredibly flexible and adaptable," Viktor explained and scrolled back to the first few pages of the report. "Look at this, isn't it amazing?"

Nina read the information, blinked in surprise and then leaned back on her seat. "She's far more advanced than what I expected, her programming is clearly superior to any current mechaniloid's. I can see why she was able to maintain activation even without the Three Laws."

"And you know what that means?"

She nodded. "It means Robot Masters were not as simple as we believed they were."

"Can you imagine how intricate the original Mega Man's programming was, or that of his older brother, Proto Man?" Viktor Cossack was smiling as he considered the possibilities. "Doctor Light and many roboticists of his day were clearly ahead of their time!"

"I wonder if the original eight Cossackbots were this advanced," Nina said, remembering the creations of the company's founder. "It would be interesting to compare them."

"A shame that information is long lost," Viktor said, thoughtful. "Then again…"

Nina was not paying attention to her husband. Instead, she was now contemplating another idea. If Splash Woman was not ruled by the Three Laws of robotics, then she already possessed some sort of free will, and considering how complex her programming actually was… then shouldn't her cognitive abilities be _almost_ as advanced as those of a reploid?

" _And if that's the case,_ " Nina thought, " _how far from developing real emotions is she?_ "

=0=

"I'm amazed at how different things are," Splash Woman said, looking at the group of reploids walking out of a store, carrying bags full of merchandise that was clearly made for their kind. "A century ago, no robot was given a salary or could own things… not unless their masters gave it to them or they earned it in a competition that allowed robots to participate and keep the prizes. We were only tools, X, seeing how things have changed is… overwhelming."

"I imagine it's not what you expected," he said. "But this isn't bad."

"No, I guess it isn't," she said, stopping in front of a store, looking at a well-organized display showing a man wearing a grey suit, a yellow scarf and a red hat. The mannequin wore a pair of dark sun glasses as well. Splash Woman smiled and sighed, feeling suddenly melancholic.

"Something wrong?"

"No, nothing," she said, looking at X and wondering how he'd look with the grey suit, the scarf and of course the hat. It probably wouldn't fit.

"Did you want something from the store?" He asked, looking at the shop. "I think they only sell men's clothes here, though."

"Even if I wanted something, I don't have any money," she said.

"I can buy it for you," he offered.

"I couldn't impose, I…"

"But I insist," X said. "Let's enter the shop."

A few minutes later, Splash Woman and X walked out of the store, she carried a small bag, and was wondering if this was fine. It was the first time someone had bought something for her. No. A memory file resurfaced then and she remembered it wasn't the first time. A long time ago _he_ bought her something, too.

" _A necklace,_ " she remembered. " _But I lost it when… no, it would be unfair to X if I spend my time thinking about someone else, wouldn't it?_ "

Assuming she was busy processing the changes around her, X walked by her side in silence, simply enjoying the company of another Lightbot. He had always hoped to meet another creation of his maker, and now that wish had come true. It made him feel satisfied and… happy. It was odd, just being close to her changed the way he felt about life. She was a key to his past, a kindred spirit as they shared the same creator, a friend, someone he could talk to about things nobody else could understand, but most important of all, she was… _family_.

They walked in silence for a few more minutes, X thinking about how nice her company was and Splash Woman taking in the large metropolis, admiring the new and advanced architecture of the intelligent buildings and other structures. They eventually reached a park, and the fountain, made of stone and very old, caught her attention. She stopped and reached for X's hand.

"Can we stop here for a minute?" She asked. "I want to look at that fountain."

He nodded and let her guide him towards the center of the park, noticing how nice her warm hand felt over his.

The fountain was of a very old design, one that X recognized as baroque. In the middle of the fountain were two perfectly sculpted statues. One was of a beautiful woman in an elegant dress and behind her was a knight who held a shield in a protective gesture. Splash Woman located a metallic plate on the side, and saw the plaque had this information carved on it:

[The princess and her knight. Donated to the city by K. C. on the year 20XX]

The marine Robot smiled at the ' _coincidence_ '. She would bet she had a pretty good guess as to who this K. C. who donated the statue was. It seemed she never stopped thinking about _him_.

" _But the knight was never yours, princess,_ " Splash Woman thought, smiling at her own personal secret, wondering briefly if the satisfaction she experienced at the idea was normal or not. " _Not in the way you always wanted, at least._ "

"My scans indicate this statue is made of bronze and brass. No wonder it's still in such a good condition considering it's been here since this was old Moscow. This statue is about as old as both of us," said X as he admired the sculptures. "It's very well made, I bet it was expensive."

"I'm sure the person who donated it had more than enough money to pay for it," Splash Woman said with a wry smile. "Don't you agree?"

"I suppose," he said.

"Sit with me, X," she invited after sitting on the fountain. "I know you have many questions, I think it's time I answer as many as I can."

"… Are you sure?" he said and, after hesitating for an instant, did so. "I thought you would like to spend a few days becoming familiar with our world before talking about the past."

"I'm fine," she assured. "And I do want to talk about it, I…"

A loud beep interrupted her and X stood up immediately, placing his right hand against his helmet.

"X here, what's wrong?" he asked, failing at hiding the concerned tone in his voice.

Splash Woman tried to listen to the transmission X was receiving, but she found that all she could get was static. The frequency he used was impossible for her to detect.

"The Orbital Observatory?" he frowned. "It has been operational for only six months! Who is responsible for the attack?"

The blue armored hunter clenched his fist as he listened to the message.

"Dynamo? But I thought he was dead!" X said feeling frustrated by the return of that old rival. Was having some peace too much to ask? "And he says he wants me and _only_ me to go there for a final duel… fine, I'll go. Alia, tell Douglas I'll need a shuttle. I'll be at HQ as soon as I can."

And with that X ended communication.

"I take it something bad happened," Splash Woman said, standing up and placing a hand over his arm. "Can I help you?"

"No, you can't," he said, gently holding her by the shoulders. "A very dangerous criminal has taken over the Orbital Observatory, he has hostages there and wants to fight me. He says I must go alone or he'll kill his captives."

"Will you be alright?"

"Dynamo has never defeated me in the past," X stated. He then offered her a smile "And I can't let him beat me now, there's no way I'll leave our conversation incomplete… come, I'll take you back to the lab."

"Wait, before you do that…"

"What?"

She reached inside the bag and fished out the yellow scarf, which she wrapped around his neck. She admired him for a moment and smiled. He really resembled _him_. And the synthetic wool scarf suited him, or at least she thought so.

"But this…"

"Wear it," she requested. "For luck. For me."

He reached up and touched the soft fabric. "Alright. For you."

 **Note:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading this chapter.


	11. Chapter 11

**Relic from the seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

-11-

The area where the sunken ship that carried Eve-Y's capsule had been found was empty now. True, Doctor Cossack did say his company had recovered everything around the wreckage because of its historical value, but she had wanted to see it herself and asked him for the coordinates to go and look around on her own. She hoped clues about _him_ were still down there somewhere and besides, doing this was helping her to stop thinking about Mega Man X, who had yet to return from the Orbital Observatory. She really hoped he was fine, as he had been gone for twelve hours already and she had yet to get news about him.

Doing her best to convince herself X was alright, she forced her mind to focus on the task at hand, which was exploring the deep, cold waters of the Siberian sea.

Light was absent here in the deep and freezing waters, except for the ones provided by the dim lanterns of the few mechaniloid fish charged with supervising changes in temperature, pollution levels and underwater seismic activity that occasionally swam past her. She didn't actually need light, since her sonar continuously feed her information about her surroundings and allowed her to navigate the dark waters perfectly, and she was now considering using said sonar to swipe the surrounding terrain.

Splash Woman sat on her trident and sang a series of notes that soon bounced back and were received by the ornament on her helmet, which translated the resonance into data. The information she got was not encouraging, however. Refusing to give up, she moved further south from where the wreckage had been and tried again with the same result.

" _Well, this is becoming a waste of time,_ " she thought. " _But half a kilometer south… there was something faint over there. It's almost out of range so I can't tell what it is, I better go take a look._ "

It didn't take her long to find the area where she had detected that strange thing that caught her attention. She used her sonar again and this time obtained a much better reading. Twenty five meters below her, under the sand, there was something small, round, metallic. The Robot reached up and touched a button on the base of her neck, which turned on the lantern inside her helmet's crystal, providing her with a potent light source.

" _Very well, let's see what it is, I hope it's something good,_ " she mused as she went down.

What Splash Woman didn't know, was that someone was watching her. And she didn't know this because, as good as her sonar was, it wasn't precise or powerful enough to break through the cloaking this stranger was using to hide his presence.

This shadowy figure started swimming in circles around her, closing in and making sure he didn't send any suspicious vibrations through the water. He didn't want her to know he was there. Not yet at least.

But being busy digging through the sand with her trident and caudal fin, Splash Woman was not paying any attention to her surroundings, because she was convinced she had found something important, something that, if it still worked, would help her greatly in finding what had happened to _him_.

" _Just a little more!_ " She thought, digging frantically, sinking her arms into the loose sand until she finally felt her fingers touch it. " _Success!_ "

She retrieved her hand and with it, a very old helmet.

" _Yes, I think it's his!_ "

Feeling thrilled and overjoyed, Splash Woman swam to the surface where she could examine her prize.

She passed just a few meters left of her mysterious stalker, close enough to see him if she had been aware of her surroundings. But excited as she was, she didn't even notice him.

Once she emerged, the first thing she did after using her trident as a bench, was to examine the object under the northern sun. The years had not been kind and the built-in circuits in the helmet were useless, but that didn't matter. It was _his_ helmet. The same sharp angles she remembered so well and the fading white and red confirmed it.

"Blues…" she sighed, cradling the helmet close to her power core, "how I wish I knew what happened to you that day…"

"Are you alright?"

Splash Woman tensed immediately and placed the helmet on her lap before turning around to see Tsunami Mako had surfaced behind her. When… and _how_ did he get so close?

"You are… Tsunami Mako, right?" she asked. "How did you find me?"

"I was around," the marine reploid said, feeling glad his cloaking system had kept him hidden from her. The last thing he wanted was for her to think he was some kind of a pervert. "I saw you swim by and I thought I'd say hi."

"… I see," said the Robot Master with a nod. She didn't really wanted to talk to Mako, but if it weren't for him she would still be deactivated so she just couldn't ask him to leave her alone. "It's strange that my sonar didn't detect you."

"I always bring a cloaking device with me when I go that deep," he explained. "It keeps the mechaniloid fish from approaching. It's not that I dislike them, but they tend to get in the way. So, what do you have there?"

Splash Woman felt suddenly a little edgy. The way Mako stared at her and his admission of having something that let him get so close to her without being detected was unnerving her more than what she expected it would.

"Is it valuable?"

"This?" She lifted the helmet so he could better look at it. "It might be, I think it belonged to X's predecessor. I'd have to ask Doctor Cossack if it still works. There may be data saved here that could be important."

"If it's that old then it may be worth a lot of Zenny," Mako said. "But you found it, so it's yours."

"…Yes, I guess," she said.

"Your voice is very pretty, you know?" the reploid said, swimming a little closer, "almost as pretty as you."

"Ah… thank you," Splash Woman started looking around, hoping to see a boat or a ship, _something_ to help her end the conversation, but there was nothing. She looked at the shark reploid and noticed he was even closer now, close enough to make her feel a little afraid. She really wanted to leave now.

"What is going on between you and X?" Tsunami Mako asked then, lowering his body so only his fin, pointy snout and eyes remained visible. "It's strange that he is so interested in you."

"That's… something personal, Mako. Look, I have to go," she said coldly. The shark reploid was making her feel very unsafe. "I promised Doctor Cossack I wouldn't be gone for too long."

"That's fine, I can swim with you back to port, I just…"

"Thank you, but it won't be necessary. Until next time," she interrupted and quickly activated her teleporting system, beaming out of the water with a flash of white, leaving behind just a cloud of steam.

"… Ah, so she likes to play hard to get, huh?" Mako grinned. "Fine, then, we'll play, my sweet mermaid, we'll play. I'll show you soon I'm better for you than X will ever be. You'll see."

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading this chapter.


	12. Chapter 12

**Relic from the seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

-12-

The shuttle was a small machine, designed to fit only two passengers. It was the pride of Douglas and his team, with a new engine and remodeled thrusters that would allow it, in theory at least, to reach Pluto in a record time of only ten months. Had Douglas lived a century in the past, however, he would have been witness to what Doctor Light and Doctor Wily had achieved each with their own space engines. Wily had created effective, quite large in size yet still extremely fuel-efficient spaceships that helped him travel all over the solar system at faster than light speeds. Doctor Light had achieved a micro-engine which allowed small vessels to reach speeds that matched and even surpassed those of his rival's gigantic starships. Such amazing technology was now lost to the sands of time, and it would take decades before anyone devised something similar.

X was pacing around the shuttle, waiting until Douglas and his team completed the final preparations before he could take off. He was silent, thinking about the current situation, wondering why Dynamo had done something so strange.

" _And how did he survive the Nightmare phenomena?_ " X wondered, recalling the last time they met. Dynamo had been obsessed with collecting Nightmare Souls, and the subsequent reports they got hinted at his death in the Amazon jungle.

"X, can we… can we talk?"

He looked to his right and found Alia there, holding something in her hand, apparently uncertain about approaching him.

"You don't need to ask, Alia," he said, sitting on a crate full of spares and motioning for her to sit next to him. "What do you need?"

"I wanted to bring you this," she said and gave him a weapon chip, noticing the new scarf he wore but not saying anything about it. "I remember Dynamo is weak to wind based attacks, so I thought you'd like to have the Wing Spiral equipped."

X smiled and reached for the chip, which he immediately inserted into one of the eight weapon slots in his forearm. "Thank you! I'm sure this will be very helpful… I should have thought of it. You're great, Alia."

"You're welcome, X. But I'm worried," she said after a moment of silence. "About many things. Dynamo is dangerous, and this could very well be a trap. There must be something else going on here, I'm sure of it."

"That's possible, but there are hostages involved. If this is a trap, then I'll deal with it as well," he promised, hoping that would help her feel better. X had noticed how worried she was, and didn't want to leave her in that state. "I'll arrest Dynamo, no matter what."

"Let me go with you. I reactivated my weapons system, I'm sure I can be of help," she offered as she turned her right arm into her Alia Buster and pointed it at a nearby box. "I know I've never been in actual combat, but I've equipped the Double Cyclone and I always get at least rank B+ in simulations. I'm sure I can help you, I can hide in the shuttle and be your back-up, I…"

"No, you won't come with me," he said firmly. "You can help me more _here_."

"But, why?"

"Because I don't want to see you hurt," he interrupted, his voice pained. "The mere idea of you being damaged in battle is… _unbearable_. Please understand, Alia, I can't put you in danger. I… I just can't."

She was prepared to argue her position, but the way he stared at her was all it took for her response to die in her throat. She could simply not go against his wishes when he was obviously so concerned for her safety. But if he was so worried then…

" _Does it mean he cares about me?_ " she wondered. " _Perhaps now is the time to tell him how I feel, but if I do, it may distract him during the mission… what should I do?_ "

"…X," she started, her voice barely above a murmur.

"Sorry to interrupt you two, but the shuttle is ready!" Douglas announced with a thumbs up. "I did some last minute improvements to make it faster, too!"

"Thank you, Douglas," X said and stood up. He then looked back at Alia and offered her a small smile. "I need you to be my Navigator, Alia. You are the only one I trust for that. Please, be there for me."

And saying nothing else, Mega Man X rushed to the waiting shuttle.

"I'll be there for you," Alia said as she watched him climb into the ship and blast off towards the sky. "I'll always be there. Because I am your Navigator, X."

" _But I want to be more…_ " she thought, struggling with her fear, hoping as she always did that X would return safely to her. " _I want to be much, much more…_ "

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading this chapter.

The opening paragraph references Wily's penchant for space travel in the portable Mega Man games, where Doctor Wily designed large satellites and spaceships, and also to Doctor Light's ability to modify Rush for space travelling.


	13. Chapter 13

**Relic from the seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

-13-

X stood in front of the door separating the long hallway from the large room where the main telescope's control panel was located. He checked his systems before entering and confirmed his power core was at 89% and that his weapon energy was at 75%, not too bad but not great either. He had received a few hits fighting his way through the Observatory, and had been forced to use a few shots from his special weapon in order to destroy the two large Mechaniloids that had been guarding the rooms where the hostages were.

" _I should have brought more special weapons instead of only the Wing Spiral with me,_ " X lamented as he debated over using one of the two full subtanks he carried to recharge his power core. In the end he decided to wait, he could always use them during the fight if things got too intense. He certainly hoped they didn't, and that Dynamo was still weak against wind-type weapons.

Thinking that he was as prepared as he was ever going to be, X finally entered the room.

"Ah, finally, I was getting really bored waiting for you!" Dynamo greeted once the blue armored hunter entered the room. The black armored mercenary was standing in front of a large window, and outside a massive telescope could be seen. "It took you nine hours to get here from Earth and an additional three hours to get through the Observatory, X, you disappoint me!"

"I don't care if I disappointed you, Dynamo," X said. "Why did you do this? It makes no sense!"

"Well, for two reasons. I was bored, for one," Dynamo said, smiling cheekily. "And the other, I wanted to show you something good. Nice scarf, by the way, I hope you don't mind if I take it as my prize once I've defeated you."

X touched the scarf protectively and raised his buster, pointing it at the annoying mercenary. "I think that's enough talking, I just want to arrest you and complete this mission. Don't make it hard on yourself."

"Oooh… that rag must be important if you react like this," Dynamo said with a mocking grin. "Who gave it to you, that blonde navigator who is always so worried about you? Hah, looking at your face it seems I hit the jackpot! Well, don't worry, partner, I'll go visit her once we're done here. I'll make sure to teach her how to like me."

X frowned, quite upset at the idea of seeing Alia hurt because of him. "I swear if you ever do something to Alia, I'll…"

"En garde, X!" Dynamo shouted then, taking advantage of his opponent's momentary distraction to hit him with a cheap shot, which sent him skidding all the way to the control panel.

 _Power Core at 71%_

X gritted his teeth as his systems warned him about the sudden decrease in energy. His standard armor had absorbed the attack without additional damage, but he didn't want to try his luck more than necessary so he immediately switched weapons and equipped the Wing Spiral, dashing at Dynamo with blazing speed and unleashing a rising tornado right on his face.

"Oh, _crap_!" the mercenary managed to say before being smashed on the ceiling by the powerful wind current X had attacked him with. His servomotors, weak to strong winds, struggled to compensate the damage as he crashed down loudly in front of the aggravating hunter. He knew X was strong, but he didn't expect him to attack him full force right away!

"Ready to give up?"

"Of course not, we're just getting started!" Dynamo said as he got back to his feet, ignoring the warning that indicated his power core was now at only thirty two percent. He could still fight a little more and besides, he had one more trick up his sleeve that would turn this fight around. "In fact, I am going to show you that thing I was telling you about, X."

Dynamo grinned as he opened the small compartment on his chest and pointed at a glowing battery he kept in there. "Do you know what this is, X?"

The hunter gasped at what he was seeing, he recognized the eerie glow quite well, and he had really hoped he would never see it again. "Are… are those Nightmare Souls?"

"Indeed they are!" Dynamo laughed. "Did you think you and your friends had deleted all of them? Well… I admit you Hunters destroyed most of the Nightmare Souls, but I got the ones you missed and thanks to a friend of mine I can now use them to gain incredible power with his new Nightmare Drive! Heh, heh, heh… I'm afraid this time it's you who will lose, X… _permanently_!"

"Wait, Dynamo, the Nightmare is too dangerous, don't…!"

But the mercenary did not listen and activated the 'Nightmare Drive', unleashing the terrible power of Gate's creation. Dynamo felt the corrupting energy of the Nightmare virus fill his each and every circuit, granting him a power boost unlike anything he had ever experienced before. It took him a second to grow accustomed to the new power level but once he did so he couldn't stop a macabre laugh.

"Oh, this is _great_!" He cackled as his body started glowing with a sickly green light. "Much better than what I was told, with this power there is no way I can lose… X, prepare to die!"

"The Nightmare Souls are driving you insane!" X countered, remembering quite well what Gate's creation did to the reploids it infected.

"Insane, you say? I don't think so!" the mercenary said and, moving with a speed that X could barely follow, smashed his fist on his enemy's torso, following this with an overhead throw that sent X crashing against the telescope's control panel with strength enough to completely destroy it. "With this Nightmare Drive I am invincible, even Zero will fall before me now!"

Realizing talking was no longer an option, X waited until Dynamo got close and then unleashed another wind blast at him, but this time the Wing Spiral did nothing. The infected mercenary simply used his beam saber to quickly dissipate the wind currents, following that with a gigantic charged shot that struck X straight in the chest, making him scream in pain.

 _WARNING: Power Core at 18%_

Now that was bad. Just how powerful was that Nightmare Drive making Dynamo? If he got hit a second time… X tried to use the subtanks, but much to his surprise he discovered that his system had used them instantly the moment he was hit by that massive charged shot, using all their energy just to keep his Power Core functional.

" _This can't be…!_ " he thought, fighting to keep fear under control. Not many foes had hit him that hard before. Only Sigma, Lumine, Gate and Vile had managed to damage him so badly so quickly!

" _X… X, can you still hear me?_ "

"I can, Alia," he replied, focusing on dodging the new barrage of attacks Dynamo was throwing at him. "But things aren't looking good, do you have any suggestions?"

" _I'd tell you to warp out, but_ _you can't, there's a force field surrounding the observatory,_ " Alia provided. " _But the field does let things in. Zero is on his way, he should be there in…_ "

"It'll be too late by then!" X stated, dodging another charged shot and countering with one of his, only to see Dynamo take it and receive no damage from it. This caused X to hesitate for a moment, something his opponent took advantage of and rushed in, punching him in the face hard enough to drop him on his back.

 _WARNING: Power Core at 14%_

X managed to roll to the left just in time to avoid Dynamo's boot. He was breathing hard, trying to help his self-repair function to cool his overheating systems with very little success. This was not good at all.

"Alia, you said I can't teleport out but you can beam things in, right?" X asked, jumping high and then bouncing on the wall to dodge the crazed mercenary. He had an idea that, if he was lucky, would allow him to win this battle. He just hoped he could live long enough to try it!

" _Yes, but… we've never beamed anything that far, I don't know if…_ "

"I don't care, send me the Gaea Armor, now!"

" _R-roger, right away!_ " Alia stammered, unable to control the panic filling her voice. She said something else, but she was cut short by Dynamo expanding his energy field, jamming the transmission.

"Exchanging some last words with your woman, X?" the mercenary said, a demented grin adorning his face. The Nightmare Virus had consumed his sanity completely and he had become a monster with very little self-control. "Don't worry, after I kill you here… she'll be my next target!"

Saying nothing more, Dynamo shot another massive charged shot and…

The blast hit, but X was still standing there, undamaged. Because the hunter wore now a bulky grey and black armor which had neutralized the attack. Dynamo paused, he had seen this armor in the past. X had used it before during the fifth Maverick Uprising and he knew it was _very_ powerful. Perhaps powerful enough to help him win.

"No…" the mercenary shouted. "I am so close… _so_ close!"

Growling, Dynamo released a charged shot, which was cancelled by one of X's, who followed this with another full charged buster shot that blasted Dynamo all the way to the opposite wall.

"That was the eraser shot, Dynamo," X explained. "It can delete any virus or dangerous program. Stand still while I get rid of all those Nightmare Souls you have running through your systems."

"Never, the Nightmare souls are mine!" The mercenary yelled as he used his laser sword to send several energy waves at X, but his effort was for nothing. The hunter simply jumped back and kicked the wall in his direction, in an arc that made it impossible for him to aim on time. Dynamo could only lift both arms to block his rival's attack, but he only partially succeeded: Mega Man X's boots slammed against his forearms, and he was brought down hard. Before he could react, X reached down, ripped off the lid covering his Nightmare Drive and fired an eraser shot directly into it.

The first thing Dynamo felt was an agonizing wave of pain coursing through his systems as the eraser shot deleted a big chunk of the virus that was powering him up. The second was fear as he got the warning that his power core was now at only twelve percent. Realizing he was about to lose he abandoned himself to despair and thrashed madly, managing to throw X against a panel on the wall. Dynamo got up, drove all the Nightmare energy he could into his buster and then rushed at X, preparing to deliver a charged shot point blank.

But X anticipated this and intercepted him, dashing in and stopping right in front of him.

"It's over, Dynamo," X said, raising both hands, palms facing outward. "Giga Attack!"

And calling his ultimate attack, X unleashed an energy ball which fully engulfed Dynamo.

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading this chapter.

Dynamo versus X at last, I know you guys wanted to read this fight, so I hope it was worth the wait. Thanks for reading!


	14. Chapter 14

**Relic from the seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

-14-

Zero entered the main telescope room and found it completely destroyed. The first thing he noticed was Dynamo, dead in the middle of a black pool of hydraulic fluid. And in the corner, resting on the ruined control panel, breathing heavily and clearly unable to move under the weight of the Gaea Armor, was Mega Man X.

The crimson hunter made a quick scan before walking further, fearing he would find traces of the Nightmare Virus that Alia had warned him about, but he found nothing. The room and the whole Orbital Observatory were virus free.

"I was starting to think you wouldn't come…" X said when he noticed his best friend had finally arrived.

"And letting you enjoy the after-party all by yourself?" Zero joked as he kneeled at X's side. "You know, I bet if I take that armor off you'd look like you're ready for the junkyard."

"The… the only reason I'm not taking it off is because if I do I'll leak power fluid all over the floor. The armor's patching a very nasty hole on my chest. Zero… where is Dynamo?"

"He's dead," Zero said. "And you shouldn't talk, at least not until I take you to my ship. Oh, and the hostages are already waiting on board in case you're wondering about them."

"Thank you. Dynamo… that thing he did…" X started, straining to speak. "He used Nightmare Souls to power up… he was easily as strong as Gate… took me by surprise… said someone helped him…"

"We'll look into it later, X. Right now we have to get you back to HQ. As for Dynamo… well, he was always a bit crazy, so I can believe he'd do something that stupid." Zero said as he helped X stand and, slowly, both hunters started walking out of the control room.

"Zero, wait…"

The crimson hunter stopped and looked at his friend with some concern. "What is it, X?"

"I was… wearing a yellow scarf… is it around here somewhere?"

Zero looked back at the room and found the scarf a few steps to the right. He left X leaning on the wall and went to pick it up. "I guess you'll be happy to know it's undamaged. Can we go now?"

X grunted in pain while he reached for the scarf. He looked at it and managed a small smile as he held it in his hand. "Yes… let's get out of here."

"Good, because this place is giving me the creeps like you wouldn't believe."

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading this chapter.


	15. Chapter 15

**Relic from the seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

-15-

" _Please don't die!_ "

That was the last thing Alia could say before communications were cut by something in the Orbital Observatory, and she didn't know if he had heard her or not.

Frustrated and hoping the Gaea armor arrived on time, the only thing she could do was to sit in silence, staring at the numbers provided by her screen's terminal, waiting for communication to be reestablished and worrying endlessly for X's fate.

"The armor arrived to the Observatory without incident," Layer announced. "And according to my scans, it seems X is already wearing it."

"I'm sure Captain X will win the battle now that he has it," Pallette added. "Don't worry Alia, he will be fine."

=0=

"I don't care about regulations, Lifesaver," Alia said firmly. "I'm going to see _him_ and you can't stop me!"

"We haven't finished yet, you can't simply…"

"I can and I will!" The senior navigator stated and pushed past the medic, entering the medical bay where X was being treated. "And give me a damage report, I deserve to know how bad he is."

The reploid doctor, who was following Alia as she approached the designated operating room, could only sigh in defeat and did as she requested. "Captain X arrived in stasis. His systems shut him down so that his self-repair function could start fixing some of the damage he received. His inner structure is fortunately undamaged, but most of the wiring connecting his servomotors fried, it's a miracle he was able to walk to the ship, for all we know he shouldn't have been able to move. His standard armor was damaged: his left shoulder and his right knee melted, and his chest was pierced by what we think was a very powerful plasma shot; finally, his optics received damage as well, I think X was half blind by the moment Commander Zero found him… the only reason he managed to resist until he got here was because he was wearing the Gaea Armor."

"The last time he was this damaged was when he fought Sigma in Doppler Town, but back then Doctor Cain managed to repair him," Alia said but corrected quickly. "No. he was in far worse condition after the fifth Maverick Uprising, Sigma almost destroyed him, but… by the time we arrived to rescue him, we found X completely repaired. But we don't know who fixed him or how."

"Same thing that happened with Commander Zero, but he returned completely healed during the Nightmare phenomena incident," Lifesaver recalled. "We don't know who repaired him either."

"Probably the same person who fixed X," Alia said. "And we could really use his help right now!"

"Actually, no, we don't need him," Lifesaver said. "Like I told you, the damage was substantial but it's nothing that we can't fix. Replacing the wiring and the armor pieces that melted and also Captain X's optics, that is something we can easily do. It will take a while, but it's not difficult because we don't have to rebuild anything. We simply couldn't do it if that were the case, as far as we know, there isn't anyone who can rebuild X's inner systems, or Zero's for that matter."

"There is someone," Alia said, finally arriving to the room where X was in. "We simply don't know where he is or how to find him."

"It would be nice to learn from him," Lifesaver accepted. "But like I said, we don't need his assistance for what we're doing. I also suggest that you stop here. Alia, I've let you go as far as you can. Only authorized personnel can go beyond this point."

"I know," she said, a hand on the door as she steeled herself for what she was about to see. "And I don't care."

"Alia, wait…!" Lifesaver tried again but to no avail. She ignored him and pushed the door open, entering the operating room without looking back.

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading this chapter.


	16. Chapter 16

**Relic from the seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

-16-

The first thing Mega Man X did when his systems came back online was to perform a full self-diagnosis to make sure everything was running smoothly. The report he obtained this way indicated his optics had been replaced ( _not for the first time_ ) as well as most of his wiring. His modern armor, the one he had requested before the seventh Maverick uprising, had been replaced completely and he now wore new parts identical to those he used to wear during the fifth and sixth rebellions. It could be far worse, he decided, and perhaps it was even time for him to go back to his standard armor.

Feeling glad his systems were fully operational and at 100% capacity, X finally opened his eyes, being greeted by the blue tinted glass of a recovery capsule. Unsurprising, as he knew he was still in the medical bay. He interfaced with the capsule and ordered it to open, which it did at once with a soft and mechanical hum.

That was when he saw her. Alia.

She was sitting on a chair next to his recovery capsule. She had leaned on a small table, her head resting over her forearms. He did a scan on her and noticed Alia's power core was at just 15%, which told him she had entered stasis to save energy. He got up and approached her, wondering why she was there. Did she stay by his side while he recharged? No, that was impossible, Alia wasn't irresponsible and she certainly wouldn't have spent the forty-eight hours it would have taken him to fully recharge after his extensive repairs sitting there looking after him.

But what if she had?

X realized he didn't know how to feel about that possibility. It certainly made him feel… _strange_ , knowing that she appeared to care so much for him. But it was a _good_ kind of strange; it made him feel… it made him feel _good_.

It was then he noticed she had his yellow scarf under her arms.

That detail made him remember Splash Woman. He hadn't visited her in at least three days, and he doubted she knew what happened to him in the Orbital Observatory, which meant she was probably worried about him as well.

He would have to go and see her later.

But before he did, he would thank Alia for everything.

"Alia," he called, placing his hand over her shoulder. "Can you hear me?"

She stirred and blinked a couple of times. "Who…?"

"It's me, Alia."

She looked up, still drowsy, her electronic brain struggling to catch up for a microsecond and then she was able to focus on the person next to her.

"X?" She asked, still not believing he was standing there, smiling and perfectly repaired. She had honestly feared he would never wake up, but now, seeing him in front of her alleviated all her fears, replacing them with a strong wave of relief that washed over her, filling her with warmth and happiness.

Alia stood up and reached for him, her right hand stopping just as it was about to touch his chest. She suddenly felt too nervous to move; would he feel uncomfortable if she touched him? She had never done that before, keeping their interactions strictly professional, but…

It was X who reached for her hand intertwined his fingers with hers. He smiled when she looked up at him with disbelief in her eyes. She felt light and hot as he held her hand. Was this supposed to make her feel this way? She didn't know but decided she didn't care. Because this was good, better than what she felt when Gate touched her. And to think X could make her feel something so strong just by holding her hand…

"Thank you for looking after me," he said then, pulling Alia out of her meditations. "Thank you for helping me, it is only because of you that I'm here right now. I owe you my life, Alia."

"But… you owe me nothing, X," she said, lost in the intensity of his eyes. "I… I would do everything for you, I…"

She couldn't say anymore, didn't dare to. Instead, she reached up with her left hand and placed it on his chest. She entertained the idea of touching his face then, but she also didn't dare to do something so bold and instead felt satisfied with what she was doing, amazed and glad that he didn't move away. Knowing that he accepted her touch was reassuring, and in that moment she felt everything was perfect in her life. The uncertainty she had been feeling since Splash Woman was reactivated vanished like a bad dream and, absorbed as she was in X's deep blues, all she could think about was how much she truly cared for him.

"You can tell me anything, Alia," X assured her. "Please go on."

" _I love you,_ " she thought. Taking in a deep breath to cool off her servomotors, she steeled her resolve to finally tell Mega Man X what she felt for him.

But she didn't get the chance to say those three words. The door behind her opened and Axl loudly marched in, followed by Zero, Layer and Pallette. To their credit, the two navigators went silent and became visibly uncomfortable once they understood what they had interrupted, but Zero and Axl simply started asking X questions about his recent fight with Dynamo.

"What's the deal with this Dynamo guy?" Axl asked, not noticing how close Alia and X had been standing together or the way she had quickly moved to one side. "I've only read about him in reports from the fifth and sixth rebellions, what's fighting him like?"

"Axl, give him some room," Zero chided. "I'm sure he'll tell us everything in a minute, and he better, because I'm still curious about how Dynamo used the Nightmare virus to power up."

"We're sorry for interrupting," Layer whispered to Alia, who had by then moved to where she and Pallette stood.

"We couldn't stop them. They rushed to the clinic as soon as the capsule reported to Control Room that Captain X had woken up," Pallette likewise muttered.

"It's unfortunate they were both there…" Layer lamented, still in a hushed tone.

"It's ok," Alia said with a sigh. She felt disappointed, but hoped the she and X would have some time alone again soon. Understanding this, she started paying attention to what X was telling his partners. "Besides, learning about what happened in the Orbital Observatory is more important."

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading duties.


	17. Chapter 17

**Relic from the seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

-17-

"What matters here," Zero started as he sat on a chair next to Layer. "Is to find out who made that Nightmare Drive that Dynamo used when he fought X."

"I agree with Zero, we should try to find out who is behind it," Layer concurred. They had returned to the Control Room and were discussing the recent development with Signas, in hopes that the highly intelligent leader of the Maverick Hunters could see something which escaped them.

"I'm more concerned about the Nightmare Drive itself," Pallette threw in. "There's a chance other reploids could start using it if it's available in the black market."

"Yeah, and going by X's fight with that Dynamo guy, it wouldn't be a pretty thing if other reploids start using it against us," Axl rejoined. He was sitting next to Pallette, and casually placed his arm around her shoulder. "I think Pallette here has a point. We should check if some of the usual arm dealers we always deal with have heard about it."

"And I believe someone is already creating more of the Nightmare Virus," Alia announced, she was, as usual, sitting next to X. "We really should try to find out where this is happening."

"Alia is correct," X agreed. "We find this person's hideout, we get the Nightmare Drive, too."

"You all have good points," Signas conceded as he paced around the Control Room, considering the situation. "We unfortunately don't have any leads since we couldn't recover the Nightmare Drive from Dynamo's body."

"You couldn't?" Pallette asked. "Why?"

"According to what Lifesaver and his recovery team reported last night, it was because X vaporized it," Signas explained, activating the main screen so that the three hunters and their navigators could see the forensic report on the mercenary. "The footage sent by the recovery team clearly shows Dynamo is little more than an empty shell. His inner circuits, I.C. and electronic brain as well as his power core all melted, taking the Nightmare Drive with them."

"Well, never say X can't erase the competition when he has to," Axl joked, earning a not so discreet elbow jab from Pallette.

"No time for jokes," she hushed.

"Sorry, won't happen again," he whispered back.

"We are lucky that nobody has challenged us with an army and eight generals and fortunately no attacks have been reported… yet," Signas continued, ignoring the bickering between the two youngest members of his elite team. "But I fear something may be about to happen, so it would be wise to try and preempt it for a change, whatever it may be."

"That's a great idea, Signas. What are your orders?" Zero asked.

"To begin, Zero, you'll work with Layer and try to find leads on who Dynamo worked for before he attacked the Orbital Observatory," Signas commanded. "That may give us some clues about who created the Nightmare Drive."

"Shouldn't be difficult," Zero smirked. "It'll give me a chance to visit some old 'pals' in certain places."

"Axl, Pallette," Signas called. "You two will go and talk with any illegal weapon dealer that we are aware of, see what the word on the street is, you may learn something useful. I'm sure Axl's copy ability will let you blend in without drawing any attention back to us."

"We'll go undercover? Cool!" Axl grinned, excited by the mission. "Don't worry, Signas, we'll get the job done!"

"What about us?" Alia asked. "X and I won't get a mission together?"

Signas nodded. "Of course you will. I want you to investigate if someone is producing Nightmare Virus. I suggest you start by visiting Gate's old laboratory and work from there; you may find something."

"Understood, we'll do that," X accepted.

"Well?" Signas said both hands on the large table. "Why are you still here, didn't I just give you your assignments? Move it! Hunters, go get your gear!"

"Yes, sir!" X, Zero and Axl said, standing up and rushing out of the Control Room.

"And what about you ladies?" The Maverick Hunter Commander asked with a chuckle. "Go with your counterparts. This is not a hunting mission; they'll need you on the field with them."

"I'm on my way," Layer said and left the room.

"As am I!" Pallette said hurrying up to catch up with Axl.

"Thanks for letting us go together, Signas," Alia said once she was alone with the commander. "I wouldn't like to go by myself to explore the ruins of Gate's old lab…"

"I know. Now hurry, X is waiting for you."

She nodded. "We'll bring back good news, I hope."

 **Notes:**

Extra thanks to Adam for beta reading duties.

A new arc starts in this chapter, I hope you'll find it interesting.


	18. Chapter 18

**Relic from the seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

-18-

X was the only one left by the time Alia arrived to HQ's hangar. He was leaning on a Bee Blader and casually conversing with Douglas. She approached them and heard the mechanic was asking about the shuttler's performance during space travel, to which X answered with detailed information about the small ship and how it handled during take-off and in space. Douglas nodded and typed some information on his data pad. He noticed Alia was approaching, so he excused himself and returned to his workshop.

"The others?" She asked.

"Already left," X said. "Zero and Layer on Ride Chasers, Axl and Pallette took a Wing Flutter."

"And us?"

"We'll go on this old Bee Blader," X told her, then looked at her with some concern. "Did you recharge? I remember your power core was running low."

"I'm ok now, I stopped for a subtank on my way here," she said with a smile. "Thanks for caring, I appreciate it."

"Don't mention it, shall we go?"

She nodded and interfaced with the Bee Blader, ordering it to open the door. "Yes, we better."

"Ah… Alia," he called her, his tone of voice a little uncertain.

"What is it, X?"

"Would you mind if we go somewhere else first?"

"You want to go to Russia, am I wrong?" She asked, feeling a little bit unnerved.

"Yes, I have to see Splash Woman," X said, looking at his left to avoid Alia's gaze. "She's probably worried about me. I need to let her know I'm fine."

The navigator took in a deep breath and sighed. "Alright, X. We'll go to Russia first. Signas won't like it, though."

"Thank you, Alia," X said, relieved by her words. He had feared she would insist they give priority to the mission, and was glad she was being so understanding, "don't worry about Signas, I already told him."

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading.


	19. Chapter 19

**Relic from the seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

-19-

The capsule where Splash Woman had slept for over a century was slowly being lowered into a large steel crate. Eve-Y's parts, what was left of them at least, were already safely stored in smaller metallic boxes along with the rest of the equipment which had been brought here before to put together a temporary laboratory. Nina was busy supervising the Cossack Laboratories staff as they packed everything, paying close attention to how the material was being catalogued. Her husband, Viktor Cossack, was still working on his desk, looking at an old helmet Splash Woman recently found somewhere near the wrecked ship where she had been discovered.

"I still don't understand why you're going back to Saint Petersburg," Splash Woman commented idly as she waited for the scientist to finish analyzing the helmet.

"I've been here for long enough. I do have a company to run, plus there are other projects out there which require my attention; your spare body, for example," Viktor explained. "Besides, we also have to prepare your OS update, the installation of your new ports and most importantly, arrange your press conference!"

"W-what do you mean my press conference?" The Robot Master asked feeling alarmed at what that last part meant.

"We need to let the scientific community know that a functional Robot Master was found! That you are a Lightbot is an added bonus," the roboticist stated, still holding the helmet and trying to figure out if the information stored in the memory bank was undamaged and, if so, how to access it. "I expect you to answer a few questions."

"I-I'm not good with crowds…" Splash Woman said as she started pacing around the desk. "I can't handle questions in front of lots of people. I'll be so ashamed I'll probably shut down!"

"I suppose I can't force you, but I'd appreciate it if you did the conference," Viktor said. "I'd also appreciate it if you could tell me how to open the helmet's memory slots without having to do it by force. I am getting nowhere, I'm afraid."

She reached for the helmet and pointed at a small set of buttons on the inside. "See these? You just press the smaller one."

"We both tried that, it doesn't work," he reminded her.

"Of course it doesn't, the slots are rusted shut," the Robot Master explained with a sigh. "That is why I hoped you could do better than me. I don't know if the flash memory in the helmet is intact, but it may be. In ideal conditions it should last for at least two hundred years."

"It was at the bottom of the sea, I wouldn't consider that 'ideal conditions', Splash Woman."

"I know, but…" she made a pause and then nodded. "I could probably work on this on my own if I had proper tools, but your wife already put them in boxes."

"You can always do it in Saint Petersburg," he reminded her. "My main lab is there and you would have access to the best equipment available in the world."

"I don't really want to go," she sighed with no enthusiasm, knowing that going would make it difficult to avoid the press conference. "I guess if the city's still interlaced with canals and tributaries it may be tolerable, so…"

"It still is, you could even work supervising the aquatic mechaniloids my company has monitoring the canals," the scientist offered. "That way you could start earning money."

"But I don't need money," she argued. "Or maybe I do, I don't know… a lot in this world is still so strange to me, Doctor Cossack, but I guess you already knew that."

"You will get used to it soon, trust me."

"Perhaps," she sighed. "Fine, I'll go to Saint Petersburg with you… as for that press conference, I'll think about it, but I can't promise anything."

"That's good enough for me," Viktor agreed, hoping inwardly that she decided to do the conference. Otherwise he would have to present only Eve-Y's unusable parts, and while those were relevant enough from a historical point of view, they couldn't compare to a functional Robot Master.

"Can you please tell the Maverick Hunters that we're leaving Kovalyov Harbor, doctor?" she asked as she placed the helmet under her arm. "I'd hate it if X doesn't know where to find me."

=0=

Alia and X hadn't talked much during the flight to Russia. She had hoped they would; she had hoped many things, in fact, but none of them had happened the way she had expected. All she could do was stare out the window, the sea beneath them and the clouds surrounding them not helping her feel any better. Alia recalled then her recent failed attempts at conversation and leaned back on her seat, wishing she could sleep the way her sister could during long trips like this one. She simply couldn't understand why X was so worried about Splash Woman.

Alia looked out the window again, bored by what she judged was slow progress. She wished they could teleport, but because of the weather they couldn't. Sighing, she suddenly wished she could fly. It had been an errand thought, but it connected with something she had almost forgotten about, buried under the millions of files in her electronic brain. She closed her eyes and executed a search for 'fly', getting several thousand results. She settled on the oldest one and noticed it had never been accessed before. Unsurprising, since it had been there with her since before her first activation. She simply hadn't needed it before.

" _What's this?_ " she thought as she went over the file, which described schematics for her that she didn't know about. " _I-I can't believe this, my sister and I are compatible with…_ "

"We'll be in Saint Petersburg in a few minutes," X announced from the cockpit interrupting her thoughts. "I promise I won't take long, Alia, I just want to tell Splash Woman where we're going."

"That's alright, X; I can talk with my sister while you do that," she offered, closing the file she had been reading, deciding she could always finish studying it later.

=0=

He found her in a lab, wearing a white coat over her armor as she worked on something her body was hiding from view. He stood still for an instant after the door slid open to let him in, wondering about the best way to tell her everything that had happened recently. His hand went up to his neck and then he remembered that the scarf was safely inside a drawer back in Maverick Hunter HQ. He would have to tell her he forgot it, she would surely understand.

""Captain X, what an honor," one of the three human scientists in the lab greeted him as he approached, the blue hunter earning the attention of the two reploid researchers and of Splash Woman as well. "What can we do for you?"

"Hello…" X said feeling a bit flabbergasted as all eyes landed on him at once. He had hoped he could do this quietly. "I just want to talk to Splash Woman, if that's possible…"

"Ah, the amphibious model Viktor sent," the scientist nodded. "Of course, she's over there."

X followed the man all the way to where Splash Woman already waited. She had turned around and had considered approaching him, but after noticing X was moving in her direction she decided to wait for him instead.

"I think it's best if I talk to Captain X outside," Splash Woman announced after putting what she was working on inside a drawer. "I will be back soon, Professor Aston, and apologies again for taking over one of your work tables. I promise I'll try to hurry."

The man smiled. "Don't mention it, we're glad our facilities can be of use to you. Are you progressing as you expected?"

"I already got the memory chip out of the helmet," she provided. "I was about to start analyzing it to see if I can find usable data."

"Excellent. I'll see that nobody touches your work," the man assured her when he noticed the way she looked at the drawer she had put that old helmet in.

"I appreciate that, professor," she smiled and then reached for X's arm. "There's a big garden behind the building, would you like to talk there?"

=0=

"…And that's all," X finished, staring at the many three-leaved-snowflakes in front of him, noticing that was the only kind of flower decorating the garden he and Splash Woman were sitting in. He found the detail a bit strange but quickly put it aside, the flowers were pretty enough so he guessed it was alright. X felt relieved that she hadn't asked about the scarf. She had instead told him how glad she was to see him safe, which reminded the hunter of the reploid most responsible for his victory. "If it weren't for Alia I wouldn't be here… Dynamo almost got me."

"I'll have to thank her, then," Splash Woman said with a relieved smile.

He simply smiled back, thinking about how much Alia had indeed helped him since he first met her. Without her, he may have failed during the fifth Maverick Uprising, and she had been essential during the sixth one. Alia was now an important part of the elite hunter team, and so far she had been the only one to replicate one of his armors and to figure out how to repair the ones which had survived his fights with Sigma. Alia was indeed very special.

"I didn't think Doctor Light would have the time to finish the armor upgrades he was creating for you," Splash Woman said. "The last I heard before what happened to me, he was just starting work on the first one."

X looked at her and felt a sudden need to ask. "What was our father really like? I've only met him through holograms and… I suspect some of those have limited AI, but…"

"Doctor Thomas Light was perhaps the most intelligent man in history," she stated, her voice full of respect. "His genius was only rivaled by one other scientist of his time, Doctor Albert W. Wily… But I must admit Doctor Mikhail Sergeyevich Cossack came close to them as well."

"I know that much. But I want to know more. I want to know how he was as a person. I've spent all my life wondering about father and…" X, lowered his eyes to hide the emotion in them. "I want to know if he could… if _he_ could have loved me, Splash Woman."

He suddenly felt her fingers land softly over his face, and looking up he found her kneeling in front of him. "Of course he would have loved you, how could he not? You are his son and he loved all his children. Doctor Light was a very good man, the kindest I ever met. Don't you ever doubt his love, X! He loved you. And it's a tragedy you never had the opportunity to hear him say it as we did."

Mega Man X felt warm inside and leaned on her hand. He knew Splash Woman wasn't lying and he couldn't help but smile as he finally got the confirmation of his father's love that he had wanted to hear for so long. This was one of his greatest dreams come true, and X wished that this powerful emotion washing over him could last forever.

"Thank you," he told her. On a whim, he reached up and cupped her face in his hand. It felt nice and he smiled in a joyful, almost childlike way at her. "That is something I've always wanted to hear. I'm… I'm happy."

"I'm glad you are, X," she said. "And I'm glad I can help you feel that way. After all I've heard about your battles in the Maverick Uprisings, I do believe you more than deserve happiness and a peaceful existence, just as Doctor Light intended."

"Peace… now that's something worth fighting for, you know?" he commented after a few moments of silence. "Sorry, I… I have work to do. I came here to see you and let you know I'm alright, but I do have to go now."

"And where are you going?" she asked him as she stood up and followed him back into the lab.

"To a place I wish I didn't have to visit again," he told her. "Many bad memories there…"

"Let me go with you," Splash Woman offered. "My work here can wait until we're back."

"I don't think that's a good idea, you could get hurt," X said. "I wouldn't like that."

"Do you think I'm defenseless?" she asked and reached for her trident, which she carried attached to her hip. She extended the weapon to its full length and aimed it at a tree at the other end of the garden. "My weapon is more than enough to deal with anything that gets in the way."

"I still think that…"

"DLN-X, that's enough!" She scolded with frown. "I will go and that's final. Is that clear?"

"DLN-X?" the blue hunter asked.

"DLN-X. Doctor Light Number X," she explained, staring at him with interest, but still slightly annoyed at his refusal. "That is your official designation, did you not know?"

"No, I did not."

"Well, now you do," she told him as she put her trident away. "As for the other thing, I am going with you, and I won't accept no for an answer."

"But…"

She sighed and pressed her index finger on his chest. "I'm here for you now, understand? We are the last Lightbots, X, we have to help each other!"

"I… I was just thinking Doctor Cossack won't like it if you leave the lab."

"Maybe, but he doesn't have to know I left," Splash woman said with a wink and a mischievous smile. "And I trust you will protect me, so let me go with you. I promise not to get in the way. Please?"

X stood in silence for an instant as he considered his options. He could easily teleport and avoid Splash Woman, but she would surely grow angry at him and he didn't want that. In the end he decided the mission was safe enough since Gate's Lab was probably nothing but a deserted ruin by now. Besides, having her close would help him keep the ghosts of the past away from his processor, and she could even tell him about the original Mega Man while they explored. Maybe it would be alright to bring her along.

"Very well," he said at last. "You can come with me."

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading duties.

As far as I know X does not have an official designation number, but it wouldn't be surprising for him to have one.


	20. Chapter 20

**Relic from the seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

-20-

Nina Cossack grabbed the data pad her sister was returning and after putting it under her arm, she asked. "Well, what do you think?"

"Splash Woman is really more advanced than I expected," Alia said. "No wonder her behavior is so different from what we thought it would be! I would honestly like to study her after this mission is completed; her ability to maintain activation without the Laws of Robotics is perplexing."

"We have yet to figure out how she did that, you know?" Nina mentioned as she distractedly looked at the old Bee Blader she and her sister were standing next to. "And since Viktor already deleted the analysis he got when we installed her new voicebox, we can't get any new data. We're working with the notes he made and the schematics Splash Woman provided, but that's not enough. There are things in her programming that I can't understand no matter how much I try."

"I noticed you marked several paragraphs of the information you showed me," Alia nodded. "From what I saw there's something in her coding that stopped Viktor from analyzing her I.C. beyond a simple glance when you put her into stasis, didn't it?"

"Yes, but we still don't know what it was," the older sister said. "I guess we'll learn eventually, so let's stop talking about Splash Woman for a bit, there are other things I want to discuss."

"If you wish. What do you want to talk about?"

Nina smirked and poked Alia's shoulder. "About you coming here with X; are things better now?"

Alia immediately flushed and had to take a deep breath to help cool her servomotors, something she usually did when her sister mentioned X. "We were sent on a mission together and we're getting along quite well."

"That's not an answer, sister. He gets along well with everybody!" Nina groaned. "C'mon, tell me some good news!"

Alia looked up, sighed and then leaned on the Bee Blader. She wasn't sure if talking to Nina was a good idea but then again, her older sister was the only reploid she could talk about her feelings for the blue hunter. "Yes, things are better. I think they're better."

"Really, how, when?" Nina Cossack asked.

Alia proceeded to tell her sister all about the events in the Orbital Observatory and X's recovery.

"I think we got closer again after that," She smiled. "I may be able to tell him soon, and…"

"I don't think you'll tell him today," Nina interrupted, looking to the left. "Not with her around."

"Maybe Splash Woman wants to see us off," Alia guessed as she saw the marine Robot Master walking at X's side. She couldn't deny that she felt a spark of jealousy ignite inside her, but she managed to hide it perfectly.

"Somehow I think that's not the case," Nina sighed.

=0=

Splash Woman looked out the window and then leaned back on her seat. She had done this several times already and was starting to wonder how long it would take for them to reach their destination. She turned left and saw Alia was busy reading something on her data pad and X was at the front piloting the helicopter. Bored, the Robot Master straightened and looked at the blonde reploid next to her. Alia had been silent since the flight started, and had avoided eye contact with her as much as possible. Splash Woman didn't mind that much, and had decided to let her read, but she hadn't anticipated how tedious the flight would be. Hoping to start a conversation to help kill some time, she cleared her throat and then asked something she had been wondering about for a while now.

"Is there a reason why we can't teleport to where we're going?"

Alia looked up and nodded. "Yes, the area we're visiting is constantly ravaged by electromagnetic storms. It's been like that since a space colony crashed there a few years ago. We estimate it will be that way for at least another sixty years. The interference the storms cause is why we can't beam in."

"I see, too bad," Splash Woman said. "I'm sorry if I interrupted you, I'm honestly a little bored."

"So am I," Alia confided, "but don't worry, we'll be there in about forty five minutes."

"I hope so."

"Splash Woman?" Alia called, taking advantage of her starting a conversation. Alia had been trying to build up the courage to talk to her and ask her something that had been bothering her since she saw X was bringing her with them, a thing he shouldn't have been able to do, but he outranked her and insisted the Robot Master join them as a favor. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Yes, of course."

"Why are you here? This mission could be dangerous."

The Robot Master stared at the navigator as if not understanding the question. "I'm here to help Mega Man X. What other reason could I have?"

"But… you're weaker than X and I," Alia observed. "My stats alone are about 15% higher than yours. How could you help him if we encounter trouble?"

"Stats aren't important," the Robot Master countered. "I'm sure that Sigma terrorist who organized the previous rebellions I was told about had stats that surpassed X's, yet he was able to win in the end, wasn't he?"

Alia had to concede Splash Woman had a point. "I guess you are right about that, but X…"

"X is the only other Lightbot alive, and I will help him no matter what," Splash Woman declared with a tone of finality. "I _have_ to help him."

"He must be very important for you, then," the navigator said, suddenly thinking that the Robot Master's response held real emotion behind it, something she never thought possible. Alia blinked in surprise, finally understanding why Nina had so much trouble understanding Splash Woman.

"No one is more important to me than X, but please don't ask me to elaborate on that. I'm still debating if I should…" Splash Woman stopped there and leaned forward, resting her chin on her right hand as she sighed. "Forget it. It's complicated."

"You… you're still processing which relationship you should have with him aren't you?" Alia guessed. "If so, can I help you with that?"

"I'm not sure if 'processing' is the right term for this. I'm simply…" the Robot Master cut her words short as she seemed to consider something and then she turned to stare at Alia with suspicious eyes. "Why are you asking me this?"

"I'm… curious, that's all," the navigator said. "I hope I didn't upset you, it wasn't my intention."

"No, it's alright," Splash Woman sighed again. "It's just something I have to figure out myself."

"Oh, I understand," said Alia.

"I don't think you do, but thanks for the sentiment," the other said and offered her a smile. "You are a good person, Alia… you even remind me of Roll a little."

"X's older sister," Alia said after doing a quick search in her memory files and finding that was the name of the third Robot Master Doctor Light created.

"Yes, she was…" Splash Woman smiled as she remembered Roll. "She was the nicest girl you've ever met, always trying to help Mega Man as best she could…"

"I'm sure she was a great friend," Alia said, finding this information interesting, and betting X would love to hear it, too.

"You know… Roll and Rock were siblings, while you and X aren't, but even then, it seems you share the same bond Roll and Rock had."

"Oh… thank you?" Alia had to strain to smile at that comment. Splash Woman saw her like X's sister? Did the Robot Master say that to keep her out of the way?

"Alia, would you be my friend?" Splash Woman asked then. "Viktor and Nina are good people, but sometimes I think they only see me as a lab project, and X… well, I'm not yet sure about many things. But you… you I think I could trust. What do you say?"

Alia blinked and doubted for a few seconds. She did consider Splash Woman as a rival of sorts, even more so after her recent remark, but she wasn't so petty she would refuse someone her friendship if they asked for it in such an honest manner. She was not heartless.

"I say…" Alia smiled and held Splash Woman's waiting hand. "I say it would be nice being friends with you."

=0=

The place was as desolated as X remembered it, though he had to admit seeing some traces of vegetation growing back again here and there made him feel slightly better. This location was normally off-limits to reploids and was protected exclusively by human soldiers since they wouldn't get infected if traces of the Sigma or Nightmare viruses were still present. The humans were stationed in a small military base, and had access to ride armors and other weapons to help them with their assignment. Five of said soldiers were standing in front of X, Alia and Splash Woman.

"Greetings, Captain X," one of the soldiers said. "Signas called and told us you'd be here today."

"That means no paperwork will be necessary?" the blue hunter asked.

"No, everything has been taken care of," the soldier said. "You and your companions may proceed. You may want to hurry, though. It seems we'll have a storm later today."

"So it seems," X agreed, looking at the sky. His sensors indicated a steady change in moisture levels, and the electromagnetic fields around the area remained unstable. A storm was indeed coming. "Don't worry; we won't be in there any longer than we have to be."

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading.

Gate's Secret Lab, as I'm sure all of you remember, is located very close to where the Eurasia Space Colony crashed.


	21. Chapter 21

**Relic from the seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

-21-

Layer, her hair tied in a tight bun to keep the wind from making a mess with it, rode silently, keeping her Ride Chaser to Zero's right, though she occasionally dropped back a bit. She was not exactly fond of this method of transportation, but Zero had mentioned it would be the best one to use, given where they were going.

He had yet to tell her where he was taking her, however.

They had left the city a long while ago, and were now heading west after taking an exit out of the main highway. She could no longer see the sign indicating the name of this secondary road in her rear mirror. Traffic was almost non-existent here, around her all she could see was dirt and intermittent patches of green and yellow indicating cultivated areas. There were a few farms and a factory in the region, but to reach them one would have to leave the road, and she was convinced Zero was not planning on visiting any of those locations. Layer reached up and pressed a button on her headpiece to connect to the MMHQ's database. She downloaded a list of the different locations close to their position and went through it, hoping to find a clue to their destination. The only place that she believed it could be was a shoddy bar several miles ahead.

"Zero…" she called after activating the Ride Chaser's communicator. "Zero, can you hear me?"

"Yes, I can," he said, lowering his speed. "No need to use that, Layer. What is it?"

"We're going to Schism Tavern, aren't we?" she queried, even if she already knew the answer.

"Yes, that's where we're going," he said. "I know mercenaries like gathering in that trash hole; it's the best place to start our investigation."

"I see, but they…"

"We'll talk later. Let's hurry," the crimson hunter urged and accelerated, leaving her behind.

Layer bit her lower lip and was forced to step on the igniter. She had forgotten how Zero acted during missions. No, she hadn't forgotten. She simply hoped he would act different if she was here with him. This annoyed her somewhat, as she had hoped this would be an opportunity for them to talk and perhaps come to terms with the thing they had going between the two.

Zero often asked her to walk with him and sometimes would take her out for a few drinks and, if the moment felt right, they would link and he would stay with her all night afterwards, sharing her stasis pod. Layer could not, in all honesty, complain about the things he did; Zero was polite when they were together and treated her well. She even loved going on long walks with him. She enjoyed going out with him for drinks. She found linking with him to be extremely pleasurable. But she wanted to know what they were for each other. She knew how she felt for Zero and she had told him several times during linking and before they entered stasis together. But he had never told her the same. He refused to give a name to their relationship. And there were days, even weeks, when he would act as if they were nothing but coworkers. It frustrated her to no end.

And it frustrated her because she knew why Zero behaved that way.

" _It's because of_ her _, of course_ ," Layer thought as she finally caught up with Zero and kept her Ride Chaser next to his. " _Her shadow still lingers over him. He can't let what happened go…_ "

Layer remembered the Repliforce coup and how the event had hurt Zero. She had been barely two months active when it happened but she read about it later and now, after joining the Maverick Hunters, she completely understood how much the deaths of Coronel, but above all else, Iris, had marked Zero, casting a permanent veil of regret over him. Layer realized that the mere fact Zero had let her get so close to him was already something extraordinary, and she really wanted to help him get over those two deaths and make peace with his past, because perhaps then he could finally have a real relationship with her.

But that was the only thing he would not let her do.

Layer sometimes thought Zero was convinced that letting go of his grief would be the same as erasing the memories of Coronel and Iris.

"We're here, stay alert," Zero ordered, cutting Layer's meditations short. He stopped his bike and waited until Layer was at his side. One glance at the bar in front of him convinced him this was not going to be a nice visit. Schism Tavern was frequented by criminal reploids, but not the kind of criminals the Maverick Hunters typically went after. Traffickers, mercenaries, and reploids who specialized in counterfeit and forgery… a nice collection of scum the police was supposed to deal with because their crimes weren't severe enough to put them in the Maverick category. It irritated Zero he was not allowed to arrest anyone here unless they directly attacked him, something which none of the cowards here would dare try.

The tavern was located a few steps away from a deep canyon, which was itself full of caves that weren't completely explored yet, a detail that helped make this place so popular with reploids interested in illegal activities since it provided them with an excellent place to hide in case the law arrived. Zero spared a discreet glance in Layer's direction. To him she seemed so fragile, so out of place here. Zero recalled how difficult it was to let Layer get close and accept her advances, to let go of his fears enough to admit that he cared.

The crimson hunter took a deep breath. After Iris' death he swore no other woman would get close. Because if that woman died in his arms like she had… he didn't think he would be able to endure the pain a second time.

Zero inwardly cursed at the idea of seeing Layer hurt. If only she had stayed back at HQ, but no, Signas had to pair them up like this, what was he thinking!

"What's wrong?" Layer asked while she untied her hair. "Are you not feeling well?"

Zero crossed his arms and looked straight at the purple-haired navigator. "I was simply thinking it would be better if you stayed out of the bar, but I know you wouldn't even if I asked you, so please tell me what the highest rank you've ever gotten in combat simulations is."

"It's…" she hesitated, fearing he would decide she wasn't skilled enough. "It's… it's only A-."

"Not bad" he said, his voice a bit more confident. If Layer was A- it meant she should be able to deal with the punks in the bar in case they got violent. "I think you'll be alright if one of the idiots in there tries something. Be ready to use your rapier and expect the worst, understood?"

She blinked in surprise at his words. Did Zero just admit he trusted her in combat? Now that was a first. She knew he trusted her for navigation but this was different, and it made her feel reassured. Perhaps they would still get something good out of this mission together.

"Understood" she said with a pleased smile, attaching her Laser Rapier to her hip.

=0=

Zero found the stench of alcohol mixed with Energen crystal fluid irritating. He couldn't understand why some reploids enjoyed drinking such a disgusting combination. He looked left and right as he moved through the bar, hoping to find any of the mercenaries he was familiar with here, since he was sure at least one of them would have heard of Dynamo's last job. He kept close to Layer until they reached the counter and finally relaxed a little once they were there, each sitting on a tall stool. He called the bartender then.

"Give me an Energen Crystal special," Zero requested. "And make it quick, I'm thirsty."

The bartender, a bulky reploid with a top hat like helmet, nodded and started preparing the drink. As tough as he or his costumers thought they were, none of them wanted trouble with Zero. Not in a million years.

"A White Lady for me, please," Layer requested, wondering if they even served that here. She preferred the only for human cocktails as they were too weak to affect her artificial body and she could drink one or two without consequence, something she greatly appreciated.

"We don't sell that garbage," the barman answered rudely, but quickly changed his tone when Zero glared at him. "Sorry… no humans ever come here, I don't have the ingredients for it."

"Well, then another Enegern Crystal special for me," she said.

"Yes, my lady, right away…"

Zero and Layer got their drinks and while she had to admit the special was good, it was too strong for her tastes. She was about to mention this when the door suddenly opened and someone she knew quite well entered the bar. This reploid was a slim and athletic female reploid built to look about the same age as Layer, with shiny red hair and yellow and white armor. She carried a cannon strapped to her left shoulder, and the covers in her joints indicated she had grenade and rocket launchers hidden in her elbows and knees respectively.

"Scarlet!" Layer gasped.

"Yeah, I see her," Zero said. "I heard she became a mercenary when she quit the hunters. Let's go talk to her, she may have heard something."

Zero, followed by Layer, approached the red-haired mercenary, stopping her before she could take a seat. "Long time no see, Scarlet. Hard to believe the former Captain of the 3th Ride Armor Unit would end up in a place like this."

"Damn it… what the hell are you two doing here?" Scarlet asked with obvious disdain. "I don't want to talk to any Maverick Hunter."

"You will have to," Zero said. "We have questions and you will answer them."

"That an order, Commander?" Scarlet asked with a mocking tone.

"It is best if you cooperate," Layer said then. "We have a few questions about Dynamo and we need information, we…"

"Save it, you insipid little princes!" Scarlet snapped, scowling at Layer. "I quit the hunters so that you would stop giving me stupid orders: don't shoot this, don't bomb that, avoid causing collateral damage and don't use your rocket launcher there! Agh, I couldn't stand it! I'm a combat model, I blow stuff up. It is what I do!"

"Enough!" Zero cut in, rudely grabbing Scarlet by the arm. "We're not here to be insulted. You are going to answer our questions and…"

"In your dreams, blondie!" Scarlet shouted, opening her elbow compartment and releasing a smoke bomb to cover her escape. "Choke on this!"

Zero, Layer and all the other reploids in the tavern started coughing and struggling while their systems rushed to compensate for the reduced visibility and irritating stench. The door opened then, and they heard Scarlet's laughter as she ran out of the bar.

"You won't escape!" Zero shouted, stumbling out of the tavern. Layer followed him and found he was already running after Scarlet, who was dashing towards the cliff.

They caught up to her, thinking that she had ran into a corner but just as Zero reached for her, the evasive mercenary back-flipped into the abyss.

"What the hell?" Zero shouted.

"She entered that cave several meters below," Layer informed, leaning over the edge to see what Scarlet had done. "Shall we pursue?"

"Yes, we shall."

=0=

The cave was dark and it appeared to be quite deep. Zero and Layer, saber and rapier in hand, had already walked for a few minutes when suddenly, lights turned on above them and heavy iron doors closed behind them, cutting off their only way of escape. The hunter and the navigator had no time to reflect on this, however, as a dozen Degravers rushed in their direction, swinging their pickaxes wildly.

"I hope you're ready to fight," Zero said. "Don't hold back!

"Don't worry," Layer replied, bringing her rapier forth and stabbing a Degraver in the eye. "I can deal with these guys quite easily."

Zero nodded and knowing she could protect herself, focused on the fight at hand. He made quick work of most of the digger robots, Layer destroying the ones he didn't bother with. In a matter of minutes, they had cleaned the area of enemies.

"They were easy," Layer said.

"Don't worry, I won't be," a voice Zero knew quite well promised. Loud stomping sounds were heard as a massive Ride Armor entered the room.

On top of that armor stood a purple armored reploid, one Zero hoped he wouldn't see again. Scarlet was also on the Ride Armor, she was on her knees, and her hand rested on her companion's thigh. She looked up with adoration in her eyes, and smiled when her partner softly caressed her hair.

"It seems you will always get in my way, won't you, Zero?"

Zero gritted his teeth and bit back a curse.

"I should have known you would show up again sooner or later," the crimson hunter spat, his voice dripping with venom. "…Vile!"

The only response Zero got was Vile's mocking laughter.

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading this chapter.

I've always thought Layer and Zero have an interesting dynamic between the two, at least going by their interactions in Mega Man X8, and I thought it would be fun to work with that.

And Vile's here. His fate in X8 was never made clear so it is safe to assume he survived somehow and I thought it would be intriguing to have him around for a while. And yes, he's back to his classic colors, since I didn't particularly liked the green and yellow or the redesign from his last appearance.


	22. Chapter 22

**Relic from the seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

-22-

"We'll get there in a few minutes," Axl predicted, walking out of the Wing Flutter's cockpit. "I just programmed the automatic pilot so we can have some minutes alone."

Pallette looked up from her data pad and took off her glasses, staring at Axl as she sighed. "I'm not linking with you here, or any time soon again, you know?"

"Pally, I was not going to ask you that," the young hunter said with a chuckle, raising his hands to placate his navigator.

"Don't call me that."

"Alright, why are you angry?" he asked, giving up his attempts at comedy and sitting in front of her. "I can't fix it if I don't know what the problem is."

"You embarrassed me in front of Signas, you unfunny buffoon!" she groused. "We agreed you wouldn't act so immature in front of him or at work ever again!"

"Oh, it's because of that?" Axl scratched his cheek and had the decency of appearing ashamed for his behavior. "I'm sorry, it's just… I forgot, you know? It just seemed that it was the right time."

"Well, it wasn't!"

"C'mon Pally, forgive me, pleeeeease?" He begged, turning on the charm as best as he could.

Pallette giggled at the sight, then sighed and finally stared at her self-proclaimed 'boyfriend' with determined eyes. "Forgive you? Just like that? No. You, sir, will have to earn it."

"How can I?"

"By not acting like an idiot during the mission," she told him. "I know you're capable, Axl. Prove to me again you're not a clown and I'll forgive you."

"I can do that," he said, sobering his expression. "Yeah, I can do that."

"Good, then go and make sure the autopilot doesn't bring us down somewhere we are exposed, this is an undercover mission, remember?"

"Yeah, I know," he sighed. "I'll go do that."

Pallette watched him go and once he was back inside the cockpit, she put her glasses back on and resumed reading, or tried to, at least. She instead started wondering, and not for the first time, about her and Axl. She still couldn't understand why he had started courting her shortly after the Jakob incident, because he hadn't seemed that interested in her before or during that Maverick Uprising. It's not that she disliked it; she could admit that she found Axl attractive, but she never really felt any interest in him before, not until he began pestering her for dates until she finally agreed to go out with him.

They had started an on and off relationship since then, and she had gone so far as to spend the night with him once after they had dated several times and felt she knew him well enough and deciding she liked him well enough; an event that she at times regretted, because being with Axl had proven to be quite… _intense_ , almost too much. Which was the reason why she had refused to do it again ever since. Pallette had many responsibilities and couldn't let a relationship distract her from her duties, no matter how fun or persistent her beau was.

" _But perhaps I could drop the cold shoulder after this mission is done,_ " she mused, smiling at the idea. " _Dating Axl is always fun, and I could use some fun right now._ "

=0=

"It's a short walk from here," said Axl, waiting until Pallette finished climbing the tall dune behind which he had landed the Wing Flutter.

"How do you know this guy again?" She asked once she was at his side.

"He used to sell Red Alert weapons," the young hunter said. "He's not a very friendly fellow, and all he cares about is money and burning things."

"I'm amazed we never had to deal with him," Pallette observed.

"Hey, he's a mean asshole, but he's not stupid," Axl said, "He would need a very good motivation to go full Maverick. Anyway, he doesn't like me for leaving Red Alert, so I'll have to use a disguise."

Not saying anything else, Axl activated his Copy Chip and assumed the form of one of the Mavericks he had arrested a few weeks ago: Rock Shrew.

"Ugh, you look disgusting, I hate rodents," Pallette declared with a frown.

"You can always stay here, you don't have a Copy Chip or a disguise," Axl said using the high pitched voice of the defeated Maverick.

"I do have one. I had a Holo-projector installed last week," she said with a grin as she pointed at her unnecessarily complex hairdo. "I can project a different appearance over my body that can fool all scanners. I won't have the abilities of the reploid I copy, however, so it's not as good as what you can do but for this it should be enough."

"You mean those ridiculous whatever they are things on your head are actually good for something?" Axl asked. "About time you used them for something useful!"

She punched him in the shoulder. Hard.

"Stop criticizing my hair, ok? It's the only thing I've never liked about you," she said, annoyed but with no real malice behind her voice. "Now shut up while I activate the holo-projector."

He nodded and waited, letting her work. She reached up and pressed a button on her headpiece, which bathed her in light. When the glow ended all Axl saw instead of Pallette was a tall lizard like reploid.

"So, what do you think?" Pallette asked. "It's Sand Lizardo, you guys captured him last month."

"Your voice still needs work… but yeah, that is pretty good," Axl conceded.

=0=

Flame Scorpion was a tall, red and black reploid. He had four arms, two ending in massive pincers that he kept folded over his shoulders and a normal pair he used to interact with his surroundings. He also had a long tail which ended in a fearsome looking stinger. His original purpose had been crystal production in a quarry, for which he used the high temperatures his flames could reach. Scorpion quickly got tired of this, as he felt his talents for incineration were being wasted. He quit his job, eventually joining a bounty hunter group and finally settling as a weapon dealer, an activity that earned him enough money to satisfy his strange addiction to incinerating and melting expensive vehicles, particularly luxury cars or army tanks.

And he was now showing Axl and Pallette the collection of weapons he had for sale in his warehouse, being particularly proud of the several Ride Chasers he had recently obtained.

"These babies are all new models," Scorpion boasted. "They aren't yet in the market, not even the Maverick Hunters have them!"

"Impressive," Pallette said, making a note about mentioning this to HQ later and saving it in an easily accessible file. "How did you get them?"

"Someone I know stole them from the factory," Scorpion said. "Sold them to me at a very nice price, I'll get a hefty profit from these!"

"What's this?" Axl asked, lifting a rather long and big rifle. "I've never seen anything like it."

"That's a Thunder Gaitling," Scorpion provided. "They don't make those anymore, it's on sale for a million Zenny."

Axl placed the weapon carefully back where it was. "For one million it better be able to clean my apartment and make subtanks."

"Nevermind that," Pallette said. "We need something different. Have you heard of this thing called… the Nightmare Drive? Word on the street is that it makes you stronger than a rank S Maverick Hunter."

"Oh, that thing," Scorpion stopped, looked at Axl, still in his Rock Shrew disguise and gave him a nod. "Yes, I've heard of it but I haven't seen any. If you want that you'd better ask someone else. I don't sell those things, only weapons and vehicles."

"Do you know who may have one?" Pallette, in her lizard costume, asked. "We need it for a job."

Scorpion placed his hands on his hips and laughed. "A job? It would be wasted on a skinny reploid like you. I think you're not even fit to be part of the other project we're working on… right, boss?"

Pallette looked from Flame Scorpion to Axl and blinked, confused at the weapon dealer's words. Boss? What was he talking about?

"It seems it's finally the time to stop this stupid charade," Axl said as he returned to his original form, only that his armor was now white and his voice, cold as ice, had changed as well.

"Wait… w-what is going on?" Pallette asked, tempted to drop her disguise but not doing so.

"Something that your tiny electronic brain can't comprehend," the white armored hunter said and, drawing his gun, he shot Pallette point blank.

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading.

Axl and Pallette aren't my personal favorites from X8, but they're interesting characters and I wanted to include them in the story and give them a chapter and a role to play, so here it is.


	23. Chapter 23

**Relic From the Seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

-23-

Splash Woman had to admit she was experiencing a response she could only catalogue as fear as she walked through the deserted hallways of Gate's secret laboratory. While most of the underground complex was a useless ruin now, there were still some lights flickering at intervals along the corridors. They provided a weak if somewhat adequate light source, but at the same time they only seemed to add to the macabre feeling of the place. The gigantic statues of demons standing next to those of chained cybernetic angels which decorated the deep chasm under the rail they were currently walking upon did nothing to ease the Robot Master's restlessness, either. Another thing which made her nervous was the overabundance of spike traps all over the main path, ( _which they had wisely avoided, entering via a trap-free secret corridor which had been discovered years ago_ ). Splash Woman rubbed her arms as she recalled the spikes. There were so many! All of them set along the floor and walls in ways that would have made it impossible for someone as skilled as even Blues to navigate. That X had managed to get through all of that before reaching the mad scientist who once lived here was an incredible testament to his skill and to the abilities Doctor Light's armor upgrades could bestow upon the wearer.

She suddenly bumped into Alia, not noticing the Navigator had stopped before entering the next room. The android had been too distracted by everything around her.

"Sorry," Splash Woman offered as she composed herself.

"No problem," Alia told her and pointed to where X stood. "X signaled me to stop."

"Wait here," he said, standing still and peeking into the next area. "I think I saw something moving but my sensors aren't picking it up… it may be nothing but I'd better make sure."

"Be careful" both females said at almost the same time, a detail which slightly annoyed one and greatly amused the other.

"I will be, don't worry," X smiled at both his companions and stepped into the darkness.

"That was… awkward," Alia sighed, wondering if she should feel jealous or outshined.

"Us telling X the same thing?" Splash Woman smiled. "It's fine. I'm glad you worry for him as much as I do."

"I always worry," the navigator rebutted, crossing her arms as she kept her eyes on the floor and wishing her sensors could pick up what was hiding in that room.

"If it helps, I think what X saw is a small organic, probably a rat," Splash Woman provided.

"And how do you know that?"

Splash Woman pointed at the ornament in her helmet. "Sonar, it's not very effective here as it is optimized to function underwater, but from what I'm getting it's something very small."

"You should have told him that before he walked in there!" she frowned.

"I couldn't. I didn't use my sonar until after he entered the room," the Robot Master said with a concerned expression. "But you are correct, I should have used it sooner… that was poor judgment on my part that may have endangered X needlessly. I shouldn't be so careless!"

"Wait, where are you going?" Alia asked, reaching for Splash Woman's arm and stopping her before she could cross the door in front of them.

"I have to tell him what my sonar discovered," the marine Robot Master stated. "Please, let go of my arm."

"No. X asked us to wait here and that is what we'll do," the navigator said. "We enter there and we may cause him trouble."

"But…"

"What if you go in there and you get hurt?" She tried, "How would X feel then?"

That made Splash Woman stop, she was about to reply that her directives mandated she must keep X safe, but then realized she had not yet installed any directives or primary objectives. There was nothing forcing her to go in there. And yet she wanted to do it. She understood that she wanted it because X mattered to her in a way that she could not yet understand, the same way she could never truly understand the way he cared for… _him_ , so long ago.

"He would… feel terrible," the Robot Master admitted.

"Yes, he would," Alia told her. "And I would, too. We're friends, aren't we? Friends don't let each other act foolishly. Please be reasonable, let's just stay here and wait, if X needs us we'll both go in to help him."

"That… sounds logical," Splash Woman said after evaluating the option for a microsecond. "I agree with your suggestion."

Alia nodded and thanked her luck that her new friend was being sensible about this. The last thing she needed was dealing with an untrained tag-along causing trouble for both her and X. It could easily lead to disaster, something she wanted to prevent at all costs.

"I really need to thank you," the Robot Master said after a moment of silence. "For helping X when he was in the Orbital Observatory. I understand it is because of you that he survived."

"You don't have to," the navigator said. She hesitated for an instant, then decided she had to say what she felt before X returned; she knew she wouldn't dare otherwise. "X is… he's the most important person in my life, I would even give mine for his! That is why you… no, forget it, I guess you and I want the same thing and in the end it's probably for the best."

Splash Woman observed Alia carefully. Her sensors focused on the blonde reploid as she assessed her condition. Her heat signature had risen a little and from what she could tell thanks to her RMC field, Alia's power core was sending energy through her systems at faster intervals than it should. This abnormality lasted only for a couple of seconds, however.

" _I've seen something similar to this before,_ " The Robot Master decided as she recovered one of her old self-diagnosis files from her memory banks and compared it with the current readings she was getting. " _Alia's reactions are similar to mine were when Blues was near me! Does that mean Alia…?_ "

"It's safe to proceed!" X announced as he walked out of the mysterious room. "It was just a rat."

"It seems you were right," Alia said, smiling to Splash Woman as she walked past her and approached the blue hunter. "Thanks for making sure we weren't in danger, X. Are there any lights in there?"

"I couldn't find any, but the room is small and there's light visible from behind the door on the other side," X told her. "We should be alright."

=0=

"I don't believe this," Alia gasped as they entered a large rectangular area. In the middle were the remains of a very tall, almost gigantic black armored reploid. "That's High Max! I didn't think I'd see him again, didn't he blow up?"

"No, his armor was almost indestructible," X said, shuddering involuntarily as he recalled how hard it had been to defeat Gate's right hand man. "The only way I could beat him was using the Magma Blade. It turned out his inner circuits weren't properly insulated and they overheated. It wasn't easy figuring that out."

"He looks fearsome," Splash Woman said in awe. She had never seen something like this High Max before, the closest she could remember was King, and not even he was this tall… or scary.

"Trust me, he was," X told her while Alia nodded in agreement. "Anyway, Gate's actual lab is quite close now. If someone has been here working on anything Nightmare-related, that's the place where we'll find clues."

Saying nothing more they continued on their way but just as they were about to exit the room a strange and ghostly figure, similar to a reploid but built out of phantasmal DNA strands, appeared on the door. It floated there for an instant and then teleported behind the surprised trio.

"Nightmare Virus!" X warned and prepared his buster.

"Nightmare what?" Splash Woman asked, but neither X nor Alia answered, for the two were busy shooting at the strange apparition, which dodged most of the shots by twisting in the air like an ethereal snake.

"Don't give it any options, Alia!" X ordered as he started charging power in his buster. "Try to keep it busy!"

Alia didn't answer and focused on doing just that, firing bolt after bolt of plasma at the horrific apparition, hitting it a few times, but not hurting it enough to destroy it. The Virus kept dodging the majority of the attacks but that wasn't important, what mattered was to keep it on the move to prevent it from attacking any of them. A humming sound reached its peak then, signaling that X had finished preparing a charged shot.

"Take this!" X shouted, unleashing a large ball of plasma that collided with the virus, dissipating it at last.

Or so it seemed. The Nightmare Virus had simply teleported and now hovered ominously above high Max's corpse.

"Try this one!" Splash Woman yelled, unleashing a concentrated laser beam from her trident that went right through the head of the Virus, erasing it at last.

"Nice shot," Alia said appreciatively as she eyed the mermaid's trident.

"Yeah, that was great!" X added with a smile.

"There… there is another!" Splash Woman announced then with a scared stutter, pointing her trident at the ceiling and unleashing another blast of her weapon.

X and Alia turned, busters raised, and shot at the Virus with all they had, but it was useless, the thing vanished and reappeared in the same place the previous one had selected: Just above High Max. Before its attackers could send another round of attacks at it, the Virus descended and merged with the empty husk of Gate's main enforcer.

"There's no way this will be good," Alia muttered, eyeing the door. "Let's get the hell out!"

But just then, High Max's eyes lit up and as the black giant came back from the dead, so did the room. The door slammed shut and the computers restarted, displaying Gate's jewel emblem on their screens.

"Teleporter's jammed," X said as he looked at the two women. "You can't beam out of here!"

The giant growled in rage and unleashed a massive energy ball aimed straight at were his three enemies were, aiming to vaporize them. The only reason this attack failed was because X grabbed his two companions and dashed out of the way in less than a second, leaving nothing but a smoking hole where they had been standing.

"Damn it, this is just what we didn't need!" X cursed as he deposited Alia and Splash Woman in a safe spot behind the gargantuan monster. "Shoot at it with all you've got, Alia! Use charged shots preferably, but focus on dodging!"

"Roger!" she agreed and started driving power to her Alia Buster, moving to the left and dashing to draw the attention of the zombified High Max away from X and Splash Woman.

"What should I do, how can I help?" the robot mermaid asked, a look of pure fear on her face. She had never seen something like this before, not even during the Roboenza crisis or during the time all the Wilybots…

"Focus on surviving, attack it if you can!" X ordered and then joined Alia, moving around the room at blinding speeds to keep the monster distracted.

Splash Woman gasped and barely rolled out of the way when the beast shot a wave of energy at her. This angered X, who unleashed a charged shot right in the mechanical creature's face, staggering it. The marine robot cursed under her breath and wished she had better mobility on land, or that she had leg thrusters like X and Alia. Feeling far more afraid than ever before, Splash Woman forced her electronic brain to analyze her enemy, who was now busy chasing X. She noticed the only attacks that seemed to affect the beast were the ones that hit its head. Problem was, the head was very small compared to the rest of the body and it was not an easy target.

She, however, did have perfect aiming, and her special weapon would probably penetrate that thing's armor. Her Laser Trident was designed to go through everything, wasn't it?

"Very well, let's give it a shot," Splash Woman muttered to herself as she ducked away from an errand energy ball that went flying in her direction. "Here goes nothing…"

The trident lightened up and she unleashed a concentrated laser that hit the monster right between the eyes, making it stumble into a wall with a loud crash. The creature straightened with a deafening, furious roar, revealing then that the Laser Trident had indeed hurt it, cracking the face plate and infuriating the beast so much it focused all of his attention on the one who had dared cause him pain.

"Go for the face, Alia!" Shouted X, who immediately noticed the new opening Splash Woman had created for them. "We have to bring him down!"

The navigator nodded and dashed at High Max. She jumped and bounced on the wall, releasing the charged shot she had been saving right on his face. Alia's charged shot wasn't strong enough to defeat the monster, but it did destroy its face plate, revealing the glowing red eye of the Virus controlling it. She almost paid dearly for this, as she barely dodged the creature's fist.

"All yours, X!" Alia shouted. "Finish him!"

The blue hunter didn't have to be told twice and, taking precise aim, shot a fully charged shot at the mechanical zombie, hitting the hole where that sinister red eye shined. The creature screeched, flailed in despair and stumbled towards Alia, but just before it reached her…

It collapsed on its side, smoke coming out of the hole in its head.

"Is it dead?" Splash Woman asked, a tinge of fear still present in her voice.

"Yes, I can't pick up any traces of the Virus inside it," Alia provided.

"We make a great team," X said with a pleased tone. "The three of us."

"Agreed, we did a good job, didn't we?" Alia agreed, smiling with pride and still more than a little exhilarated by the current battle and the more unexpected victory.

Unfortunately, while they were still enjoying their triumph, a third Nightmare Virus emerged from the wall and, before X or Alia could do anything to stop it, the ghastly apparition descended over Splash Woman, entering her body through her back.

"No!" X shouted. "No, no, _no_!"

But Splash Woman didn't answer. The Robot Master simply fell on her back, enveloped by a sickly green glow that indicated her body was now fully infected by the Nightmare…

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading this chapter.


	24. Chapter 24

**Relic From the Seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

-24-

 _WARNING!__

All systems under attack by unknown software_

 _WARNING!__

Unknown software attempting to rewrite all programming in this unit_

 _WARNING!__

Failure to stop unknown software will result in permanent deactivation of this unit_

Attempt analysis of unknown software? [Y/N]_

 _Yes__

Analyzing unknown software…_

Unknown software shares many similarities to both the Roboenza and the Dark Energy "Zero" Virus_

No further analysis possible_

 _WARNING!__

Unknown software has overcome standard anti-virus and defensive measures_

Unknown software will start corrupting all information in this unit in 5 seconds_

Roboenza Protocol is the only defense left against unknown software_

 _Recommended course of action:_

Activate Roboenza Protocol.

This action will require 99% of energy in Power Core to deal with unknown software_

Activate Roboenza Protocol? [Y/N]

 _Yes__

=0=

Pain.

It coursed through her like electricity, every servomotor inside her screaming in torment and pulling hard at her artificial tendons and muscles, ripping a scream of agony out of her voicebox. For an instant, it seemed as if every circuit inside her would fry but then, the green glow covering her like a cocoon faded and she appeared to finally relax, only for her to arch her back with a new cry of pain. It was then that the Nightmare Virus was finally expelled from her body. The virus exhibited signs of serious damage, and once on the air, shrieked loudly and then exploded.

It was only then that Splash Woman's inert form finally relaxed, and an expression of calmness returned to her face. The Robot Master was sleeping now, resting in peaceful stasis.

"W-what did she do?" Alia asked, still not believing Splash Woman had managed to damage and then expel the Nightmare Virus from her body. She had never seen something like this, never! No reploid infected with the Nightmare Virus had ever survived! Alia just couldn't understand what had happened or how the robot mermaid had conquered, purged and destroyed the Virus. It was impossible!

"I don't know, but whatever it was, it saved her life," X said, kneeling next to the mermaid to take her in his arms. "We'll ask her later when she wakes up, for the time being the best we can do is to get out of this cursed room before more trouble comes our way."

=0=

Alia sat on a dusty chair as X gently placed Splash Woman on the table next to her. The Robot Master seemed stable, and that helped calm X down, but he still wouldn't leave her side. The downcast navigator sighed and leaned back on her seat, looking at the flickering screens around her and trying to ignore the sound of static which filled the laboratory. In her dejected state, it suddenly dawned on her where she was. She had been so busy keeping an eye on Splash Woman and X, and then fighting the Nightmare Virus and the infected High Max, that she had forgotten they were inside _his_ lab.

" _Gate…_ " She thought, sparing a second to remember him. She stood up and started pacing around the lab, looking at the many tools on the floor. The lab and the diagrams that occasionally were displayed on the screens reminded her of his genius and how much she admired him. Alia brought her hands up to her shoulders, feeling suddenly full of guilt. She had often pondered if the dark path Gate decided to take was her fault. Alia recalled how she participated in the conspiracy to retire Gate's creations… but what really made her feel a crippling guilt about that lamentable incident was how she helped cover everything she and the others in the Reploid Research center did, making it look like a series of accidents.

" _Is it any wonder he became so twisted… so evil?_ " Alia wondered, leaning on a broken computer as her remorse threatened to make her inner systems overheat.

She felt then a hand over her shoulder. _His_ hand.

"It was not your fault, Alia."

She turned to look at X, and saw in his eyes that he truly meant what he said. He didn't think it was her fault. "But… after what I did… I… X, I betrayed Gate… he and I…"

Alia finally crumbled and, shaking in defeat, she started crying. "We were lovers, we had so many plans… and then he threw it all away when he became obsessed with analyzing you and Zero… he changed and ended it all with me and then… X… the things I did!"

"You already told me all of it. You did what you had to; Gate's actions are not your responsibility, Alia… he and his men chose the wrong path," Mega Man X told her, his voice calm and reassuring.

"But…"

"It was not your fault," X repeated, holding her to offer her the comfort she needed. "And I don't blame you for anything you did."

Alia did not respond, she instead buried her face in X's chest, letting the tears fall as he held her next to him. She felt stupid for breaking like this in front of him, but she suddenly realized that in all these years she had never allowed herself to cry for Gate's fate or for the things she did. She sobbed in his arms for several minutes, until little by little she was able to regain control.

Taking in a deep breath to reassure herself, Alia discovered that she felt better, much better than she had in years. And it was all thanks to him.

"Look at me," he told her as he reached up and dried her tears with his thumb. "What happened to you and what they forced you do was terrible, and that you can feel guilt and remorse about it is evidence that you have a good heart, that you are a good person, and that's all that matters to me. But if you let your guilt and regrets grow and control you, they will destroy you. And I wouldn't like that because… what would I do without you, Alia?"

"X, do you really… do you really care about me that much?" She asked him, feeling a nice warm sensation expanding all over her body. If this was a dream, she hoped it would never end.

"Of course I care," he smiled, feeling glad that she wasn't crying and in despair anymore. He preferred Alia when she was calm, and he liked her much more when she was happy. "I care a lot."

"Thank you" the navigator smiled and reached up and finally dared to touch his face in a soft caress. "X, I care too, I…"

=0=

"… _I feel like I was run over by a Wily Machine…_ " Splash Woman thought as her systems went back online. She did a quick self-diagnosis before opening her eyes and felt alarmed when she confirmed her power core was at only one percent. " _I really need to stop letting my energy go so low… and what was that thing the Nightmare Virus did? It almost destroyed me!_ "

The Robot Master finally activated her optics and looked to her left, where her RMC field told her X and Alia were. She found them standing together, he holding her close and she touching his face. Splash Woman experienced a strong discomfort at the scene, and decided she did not approve of it. Alia was not, in her opinion, worthy of being so near to Mega Man X. Groaning her displeasure, she managed to sit up.

"Nice to see that you two are getting along," Splash Woman said, managing to hide the displeasure in her voice. "But I'm afraid that's not what the three of us came here for, is it? And if it isn't a bother, I could really use an energy tank."

"Splash Woman!" X said with a relieved smile. "You are awake, I was so worried!"

"We both were," Alia added. "We feared the virus had hurt you."

"Well it didn't," the mermaid stated as she slid off the table and stood on shaky legs. "But whatever that thing tried to do was very unpleasant… if it weren't for the Roboenza Protocol I would have died for sure."

"The… Roboenza Protocol?" Alia asked, searching for that term in her databanks and finding nothing.

"It's the final antivirus made by Doctor Light," Splash Woman explained as she accepted a subtank that X was handing to her. "He created it after the Roboenza virus infected many robots all over the world and drove them crazy. He updated it when a second, stronger virus appeared. All Lightbots had this antivirus installed, it keeps anything that threatens to analyze, control or to tamper with our programming or systems out."

"I guess that explains a few things about X…" Alia guessed.

"His countermeasures are surely more advanced than mine," the mermaid said while using the subtank to recharge. "You don't see him get this weak when he's infected, if he even gets infected at all, do you?"

"True, but…" Alia started, but was interrupted when the few undamaged screens in the laboratory screeched and started broadcasting something.

The transmission, very poor due to the electromagnetic interference, showed the outlines of a reploid who started speaking, saying this:

[ _Gr**t**gs, p**p*e of… t**… E*r*h... m* n**e *s ******. A***r m*ch… th**ght… I h**e… d*c***d… th*t t**s w**ld… ne*ds to… be… clea**ed… of a** imp*ri**es. W**k h*m**s a*d r*pl**ds m*st be e**m*n**e*d a*d f*r t**s I sh*ll p*r*e t*is p*a**t! A n*w a*e w**l b***n w**h m* a* t*e c***t*r and r**er *f a be***r w***d t**t o**y t** st***g a*d w****y w*ll in***it!_ ]

The screens and overheard lights blew up then with a loud blast of electricity, leaving the room in complete darkness.

"Whoever that was they sure didn't sound friendly," Splash Woman muttered while activating the lantern hidden in her helmet crystal to illuminate the room. "Not friendly at all."

"Could you decipher what they said?" X asked. "The static was so bad I couldn't even record the audio."

"Same for me," Alia answered with a concerned frown. "But I'm willing to bet that person is behind the Nightmare Drive and the incident with Dynamo. We need to go back to HQ; if this was broadcast worldwide as I think it was they surely recorded it."

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading duties.

It stands to reason that Doctor Wily would try to test how effective the Virus he created for Zero is, meaning that Doctor Light would create an antivirus capable of resisting that or the Roboenza Virus, and it is logical that Dr. Light would upload this antivirus program in all his robots.


	25. Chapter 25

**Relic From the Seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

-25-

Zero screamed in rage and jumped towards Vile, saber ready to strike with a deadly slash. The crimson hunter was only apparently acting rashly; his actions in fact obeyed a simple yet effective for him strategy: overwhelm Vile without giving him a chance to do anything. What Zero failed to consider, unfortunately, was that this time his adversary wasn't alone.

"Oh, I think not!" Scarlet shouted as she shot an Electric Shock Bullet from her shoulder cannon, striking Zero in midair and dropping him to the ground, completely paralyzed. "You should be glad I didn't blow you up into little pieces, Zero!"

"As for you…" Vile began, looking in Layer's direction, "We really need to make sure you don't cause any trouble."

The purple-haired navigator was still shocked by seeing Zero trapped and, due to her own lack of combat experience, could not react fast enough to avoid the charging ride armor on time, ending up a captive in the massive armor's powerful fist.

"No!" Layer wailed struggling hopelessly, only noticing the armor was not actually hurting her after her efforts got her nowhere, she was simply being restrained. "Release me!"

"Layer!" Zero screamed. "Let her go, you bastard, I'll never forgive you if you hurt her!"

"Now, now, calm down," Vile said, jumping down the ride armor and crouching so he could stare straight into Zero's angry eyes. "I'm not interested in fighting you, old friend. I'm busy right now and can't afford to waste my time in a stupid scuffle with you."

Zero snarled in rage and managed to kneel. The electric charge keeping him in place still held, however. "I… I'm not just going to arrest you. I'll retire you right here!"

"Hah. You know, Zero, despite everything I've always had some respect for you," Vile said as he walked to his ride armor so he could better look at Layer. "So you got another partner instead of X? You shouldn't have brought her with you. It's obvious she isn't battle-ready."

"Release me and I'll show you how battle-ready I am!" Layer snarled much to Vile's amusement.

"We both know you couldn't defeat us, so just be quiet," Scarlet interrupted, leaning on the armor's control panel. "It's in yours and Zero's best interest that you let him speak."

"As expected from the Vile fanatic," Layer huffed. "He was the only thing you ever talked about."

"Don't blame me for recognizing the good stuff," Scarlet grinned. "He _is_ a real man."

"If you have something to say, say it," Zero spat, understanding then that if he got Vile talking it would give him time to gather his strength and break through the electric field. "It's not as if we can stop you from boring us to death."

Vile laughed and leaned on his vehicle. "If only X had your sense of humor he wouldn't be as aggravating as he usually is."

"Just get on with it!" Layer demanded, trying fruitlessly to reach her rapier.

"Very well, then," Vile said. "Look at me Zero, don't you notice something different?"

"You got rid of that green and yellow paint job and returned to your usual armor, so?"

"No, not just that," the former hunter said. "I thought you'd notice it during the Jakob event but given everything that was going on at the time I'm not surprised you didn't."

The crimson hunter studied Vile and then reviewed his memory files, reviewing the fights he and X had with him during that disaster. Vile had been more talkative then and far less psychotic than he was during Sigma's first war or during the Doppler Town incident. Frowning as an idea started taking shape, Zero studied the way his rival moved and talked. It matched with how he acted before the problem with his electronic brain turned him unstable.

"You sound less crazy than usual."

"Not the word I would use, but yes," Vile conceded. "Any guesses why?"

"You got that rotten brain of yours fixed, didn't you?"

"Exactly!" Vile said with a laugh, his arms crossed as he walked to where the hunter was. "You know, Doppler could have fixed me when he brought me back. But the damned old bastard was so infected with Sigma Virus that he had turned completely sadistic. He not only refused to fix my brain, he also dared pump the body he gave me full of the virus! Do you know how painful that is, Zero? You are angry and going insane, it's _not_ pleasant."

"No wonder you acted like a raving lunatic back then," Zero observed.

The purple armored reploid made a pause and grunted in annoyance. "It wasn't enjoyable, and all I wanted then was to get even with X. If I hadn't been going crazy, with the upgrades Doppler gave me I could have won."

"Lucky us you didn't," the crimson hunter answered with a mocking grin. "You've always been a very incompetent Maverick, Vile."

"Hah! True it is, ponytail," Vile said. "I was built to kill Mavericks, after all. Anyway, X defeated me and left my inactive remains to rot in Doppler's base, where I remained for years… until he came and took me to his lab."

"Who helped you?" Layer asked.

"Gate, of course," the former hunter answered without looking at the navigator. "He wanted to use the information in my electronic brain to learn Sigma's stats so he could build him a new and improved body, and to see if I knew how to contact that bald idiot."

Vile chuckled then. "Unfortunately for Gate, he couldn't access the information he wanted without fixing my electronic brain first, and that is what he did. After he got what he wanted, he put me in a cell, and I would have stayed there but your battle with him damaged the power generator in his lab and my door opened, allowing me to escape."

"Well, that explains why you've been around for years," Zero said, discreetly moving his hands and finding he could move them more; soon he would be able to escape the electric field. "But it doesn't explain why you always side with Sigma."

"I didn't exactly join him the first time he went Maverick," the former hunter said. "He simply cut me loose and asked me to unleash chaos, which I did because I wanted to prove I was stronger than X. You already know what Doppler did to me."

"What about the Jakob incident? You helped Sigma then, did he infect you again?"

"Ah. He did try, but somehow my programming adapted to the virus after fighting it until deleting it during the years I spent buried in Doppler's Castle. The Sigma Virus can't affect me anymore, or at least that is what Gate said," Vile explained. "The only reason I helped Sigma when he attacked the Jakob elevator was because he paid me well for my services."

"I would have thought you helped him so you could fight X and I," Zero challenged.

"If I wanted to fight you, I could have done so during Gate's little game or when Red Alert went Maverick," Vile indicated. "I didn't. After getting my brain fixed, I was finally able to think clearly again and lost interest in fighting the two of you."

"But you resurfaced and started working as a mercenary after Red Alert's rebellion," Layer said then. "I read that in your file, you are classified as a dangerous criminal."

"Correct, but think of it, woman. I am a combat model and while my brain is not malfunctioning anymore, I do believe in fulfilling my purpose, and that purpose is hunting mavericks," Vile declared while looking at Scarlet. "And your friend Scarlet there, she understands it, too. That is why she searched for me and joined me after you forced her to quit the Maverick Hunters with your stupid orders."

"And trust me, joining Vile has been the best decision of my life," Scarlet interjected.

"Anyway, I know the electric field will fade soon," Vile revealed, interfacing with his ride armor so it lowered Layer to the ground. The armor detached his massive fist, leaving the annoyed navigator on the ground but still very much trapped in its firm grasp. "So we'll let you and your woman here while we go on our way. Oh, and be warned, Zero… I will fight you Hunters if you get in my way, so don't interrupt my businesses."

"You're not going anywhere!" Zero screamed as he stood up, dissipating the electric charge and leveling his saber at Vile. "You're coming to HQ with me!"

"You escaped the electric field sooner than I expected," Vile conceded, pointing his shoulder canon at Zero's chest. "We don't have to fight, you blonde moron. I'm no longer interested in that!"

"What were the questions you wanted to ask, Zero?" Scarlet interrupted as she jumped down the ride armor, landing between the crimson hunter and Vile. Scarlet was confident Layer was no threat, but she did know how powerful Zero was and didn't want to take her chances fighting him. She hoped her offer would placate the hunter, and going by how both Zero and Vile lowered their weapons, it seemed she had been correct.

"Dynamo attacked the Orbital Observatory," Zero said flatly and still very much on guard. "He used something called the Nightmare Drive to gain extra power. We want to know who hired him and if possible, who gave him that drive."

Vile crossed his arms and nodded. "Dynamo, yes, we saw that idiot a while ago; he wanted us to go and meet some guy he called ' _the Doctor_ '. He said he could give us that Nightmare Drive you mentioned, that it would make us stronger than both you and X, and that all we had to do was helping him test it."

"As you can imagine we refused," Scarlet added.

"Because Dynamo said that special 'drive' or whatever is powered by Nightmare Souls," Vile provided. "And after meeting Gate I know those things are bad news."

"Only a fool would willingly get infected with them," the red haired reploid said. "Vile and I may like combat, but we're no fools."

"You are not lying, are you?" Zero said, not detecting any traces of duplicity in Vile's or Scarlet's demeanor.

"No, we're not," Vile started, "Why would we? Look, I don't…"

The screen hanging on the wall to their right came alive then, interrupting the former hunter as it showed the blurry image of a reploid who started talking, saying the following:

 _[Greet**gs, p**ple of… th*… E*rth... my n*me is ******. af**r m*ch… th**ght… I h**e… d*c*d*d… th*t t**s wo*ld… ne*ds to… be… clea**ed… of all imp*ri**es. W*ak h*mans and r*ploids m*st be el*m*nated a*d for this I sh*ll p*rge t*is pla**t! A new a*e w**l beg*n w*th me as the cr**tor and r**er of a be**er wo**d that on*y the st**ng and wo**hy will in*e*it!]_

The monitor overheated then and switched off, smoke coming out of its sides.

"The signal was strong enough to fry that screen even this deep underground," Layer offered as she tried her best to get free from the gigantic fist restraining her. "Interesting, considering how unclear it was. A shame I couldn't record it to analyze it later… and could somebody please release me? I'm tired of being held by this stupid fist!"

Scarlet pressed a button on her small headpiece and the fist opened its fingers. "There, now stop complaining, we have something more important to deal with."

"Indeed," Vile said, hands on his hips as he regarded Zero. "Seems to me that message was way too aggressive, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I didn't like it at all," the hunter agreed. "At least it didn't sound like Sigma."

"Well, what will it be, Zero?" the former Maverick Hunter asked. "Will you waste time with me and Scarlet or will you go back to HQ to see what the hell is going on and play the hero again?"

"Don't test me, Vile," Zero warned. "This seems more important than you and your ' _girlfriend_ ' so even if I go against my better judgment I'll let you go… but if I find out you are working with the person who sent that message, I'll send you straight to the junkyard!"

The purple armored reploid laughed at the threat, but his laughter lacked now the malice it once held. "You mean you will try… and I wouldn't expect any less from you!"

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading this chapter.

The Electric shock bullet is the special shot Vile uses to paralyze X in the first game in the series.

Also, about Vile, it is never explained how he came back in X8, but it is hinted that he's been around for quite a while, so for plot related reasons, I decided to tie his return with Gate. It also helped me explain the obvious plot hole in X6 regarding how Gate discovered a way to contact Sigma.


	26. Chapter 26

**Relic From the Seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

-26-

The last thing Pallette could remember when her systems came back online was Axl shooting her. She forced her optics open and ran a self-diagnostics as she tried to sit, finding that her left side was not responding as it should.

 _Warning: Power Core at 19%_

"Tell me something I don't know," Pallette muttered as she read the report the diagnosis was displaying for her.

 _Midsection pierced by Axl Bullet. Projectile still embedded in this unit. Projectile has caused damage to servomotors, reducing mobility of left arm and leg by 89%. Teleport circuit is also damaged. Teleporting is not possible. Immediate repairs necessary._

"Just what I expected," the young navigator sighed as she managed to sit, leaning on the wall. She experienced a sharp pain expanding all over her as she moved and started coughing, power fluid coming out of her lips and nose. She winced as she straightened a little and placed her right hand over her wounded torso.

 _Warning: Power Core at 18%_

"Damn it… just moving caused my core so much strain?" she suddenly felt fear. Was she going to die here? No, that couldn't be. She had worked too hard and still had so many things to do just to die here in the middle of nowhere. What was the protocol for these situations?

"Call your navigator and ask for help," she recalled. Problem was she didn't have one. She was one. "I… I'll just call HQ…"

Trembling in pain, she managed to reach up and activate her communicator. She tried her own frequency first but got no answer. She tried three more times and got the same result. Something was blocking her signal, and try as she might, she was not getting through.

"This is really bad," she breathed, her face twisting as another flash of pain went through her. Pallette moved a little to the right and found the pain became tolerable if she stayed still in that position. Problem was, staying in that position made the power fluid leak worse. She was practically sitting in a puddle of the liquid, now. "I'm done for… aren't I?"

 _Warning: Power Core at 17%_

She tried to relax, thinking that maybe they could bring her back somehow. Her I.C. was intact, so there was a chance her fellow hunters could reactivate her someday, if they ever found her. Thinking that way helped her recover some semblance of tranquility, and she finally devoted a few moments to looking at the room she was locked in.

It was bare. White and empty, except for a big monitor hanging on the wall in front of her. It struck her as funny that whoever tossed her here to die would bother with something as silly as having a screen on the wall. Perhaps it would even show her something. Maybe her captor wanted to make sure she was entertained as she died slowly here.

The monitor suddenly turned on, startling her a little as it did so. She had half-expected to see Axl, gloating about his betrayal, but no, it was not him. In the screen, immaculate in white armor, his lavender hair falling down his shoulders and his eyes shining with madness was Lumine; the powerful New Generation Reploid who had masterminded the Jakob incident.

Lumine started talking then, delivering a message that sent chills all over Pallette's body.

What he said was this:

 _[Greetings, people of the Earth, my name is Lumine. After much deliberation, I have confirmed my beliefs that this world needs to be cleansed of all impurities. Weak humans and reploids must be eliminated and so I shall purge this planet so that a new age will begin with me as the creator and ruler of a better world, one only the strong and worthy will inherit!]_

 _[To accomplish this goal, I plan to detonate eight nuclear bombs in strategic locations; they will explode deep underground, triggering a volcanic and seismic reaction which will make the Permian-Triassic extinction event look like nothing! Under the ensuing cataclysmic conditions only the strong shall thrive!]_

 _[I, however, am not without mercy. I am willing to give any reploid interested in surviving a chance once the purging begins. You will have to swear your loyalty to me, and if I deem you worthy, I shall let you purchase one of my Nightmare Drives, powered by the Nightmare Souls that I have been producing in my own factory. You will know how to contact me then.]_

 _[Extinction begins in fifteen hours. The purge is inevitable, so don't try to stop me and accept fate.]_

With that, the transmission ended.

Shocked and terrified by the implications of what she had just heard, Pallette tried to get up, but all she managed was to collapse on her left side, pain filling her world as she hit the floor. Frustrated, afraid and hurting to the point she was almost going crazy, the young navigator could do nothing but cry in despair.

 _WARNING: Power Core at 15%_

"I don't want to die," she cried, biting her lips and punching the ground. "I don't want to die!"

The door opened behind her.

"But you will die," Lumine countered without actually entering the room. He waited until Pallette managed to turn to face him and then continued. "You are not worthy of being a part of my new world. Death is the only adequate end for you."

"You are a monster…" she accused him, her voice weak. "A monster… full of hate and…"

"Be quiet, woman," he interrupted as he moved to one side, revealing Flame Scorpion, who carried Axl between his pincers. The young hunter was extremely damaged. "I will be gracious and allow you to die next to this piece of trash."

"…Axl!"

"He tried to fight us, after I transferred my mind from him to this new body," Lumine recalled with a mocking grin. "Idiot; my programming had already damaged his electronic brain to the point where it would take a miracle for it to be repaired, and Flame Scorpion left his body in the same state."

"He… he didn't deserve that, he…"

"Didn't I tell you to be quiet?" The cruel new generation reploid asked, lifting a finger and shooting from it a beam of heat that pierced Pallette's right foot, earning him a scream of pain from the young navigator. "Now shut up, I don't want to kill you quickly. I want you to lay here in pain while life escapes you bit by bit… it's the only thing you deserve."

Lumine smirked and then punched the unconscious Axl in the face, splitting his scar open again. "I detested being trapped inside this numb-minded imbecile's defective brain, being limited to only borrowing his body while he entered stasis! I hated manipulating him until he started a stupid relationship with you! I loathed the moment he linked with you, even if I used that instant to obtain the codes to the Maverick Hunter's database from your feeble mind! Ugh, just remembering that humiliation fills me with rage!"

"You… you used us…!" Pallette whimpered.

"Of course I used you both!" the mad reploid sneered with an expression of disgust. "How else could I get the information I needed to find Gate's laboratory? How else could I have learned where the nuclear missiles High Command has are? How else could I have learned a way to contact Dynamo and other powerful Mavericks that would be willing to help me with my plan?"

Pallette didn't answer. The impact of this information had left her speechless. She couldn't process the fact that she had played such an essential role in the destruction of the world. Her brain was struggling with this revelation, with the implication of it all.

"He does have strong feelings for you, however," Lumine revealed. "A good thing for me, it made using him as my puppet easier. I just had to make him dream of you and he'd be so distracted I could take over his body with no opposition any time I wanted."

"Boss, shouldn't we…?" Flame Scorpion interjected.

"Yes, Scorpion, it's time to go," Lumine agreed. "Leave the inferior ones to die here, they're so damaged they won't go anywhere. I'll go to the Factory, meet me there."

Saying no more, Lumine beamed out.

"I would love to melt the two of you," Flame Scorpion said once he was alone with Pallette and Axl. "But there's no time for that."

"Axl said…" Pallette coughed and looked up, not bothering with cleaning the power fluid from her lips. "Axl said you would need a good motivation to go full maverick… what did Lumine offer you?"

"Gold and diamonds… and a chance to survive," Scorpion said. "Did you not listen to him? He _is_ going to burn it all down, only a fool would refuse him if he wants you on his side."

"Someone will… stop him," she challenged.

"That is where you're wrong," the maverick said. He then gave Axl one last squeeze that cracked his armor before tossing him into the cell. "Enjoy your last few minutes together, children."

Scorpion shook his head with apparent resignation and teleported out of the base.

"…I… I really ruined it… didn't I?"

Pallette turned, ignoring the way her body protested or the warning that her power core was now at only ten percent. That had been Axl, and she just had to see how he was. She found him lying on his back, unable to move as his power fluid leaked from the cracks in his, once again, black and gray armor. The impact had apparently helped him reactivate.

"I… I felt something was… wrong," the young hunter continued. "A small flux of… energy… it came and went so… I ignored it… thought it would go away on its own…"

"You didn't know it was him," she said after crawling to his side. "You didn't know."

"But… I should have," he managed to get out. He read his self-diagnosis and saw his systems were on critical, and his power core was at two percent. Axl estimated he had less than an hour before permanent system failure if he wasn't repaired. "At least… X and Zero are still out there… they'll stop him… I know they will… Pallette?"

"I'm here…" she said, reaching for his hand and giving him a soft squeeze. "I'm here…"

"I'm sorry, Pallette," Axl muttered. "I'm sorry he hurt you… I'm sorry he used you."

"Don't be."

"I've been... happy with you," he admitted and then couldn't hold back a weak chuckle. "I always liked you but… I didn't know how to… approach you, then he pushed me into it… but it's funny… isn't it? You… you are the only good thing Lumine gave me…"

"I guess it's… funny," she smiled, doing her best to hold back her tears. "I've been happy with you too… I'm sorry I always told you to stop acting like an idiot, Axl… I'm sorry."

"Yeah… never thought you'd apologize," Axl said and started laughing, a happy, if weak, laugh.

Despite herself, despite the pain, Pallette ended up joining him. The two laughed together until he fainted again, leaving her alone in the silent room. She leaned her head on his chest and closed her eyes. If this was her end, _their_ end, it was probably the best they could ask for given the circumstances. An end together.

" _Pallette, can you hear me?_ "

The young navigator opened her eyes and shot her hand up to activate her microphone. "Signas?"

" _Yes, I have been trying to contact you for a while now, your signal disappeared,_ " the Commander of the Maverick Hunters explained. " _We are in code red, I need you and Axl here._ "

"We can't go," Pallette answered with a wince of pain. "Axl and I… we are too damaged to move."

" _I'm sending a rescue team for you. Don't worry, we can track your signal now,_ " Signas said, his voice as calm and collected as it always was in times of crisis. " _Stay calm, you two will make it._ "

"Thank… you… Sig… nas," Pallete couldn't continue and collapsed on top of Axl, her power core having dropped to three percent, forcing her systems to put her into stasis to save energy.

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading this chapter.

X8's ending in a cliffhanger always bothered me, the story had been set up for something but Capcom has not done anything with it so far so I thought I'd visit it and do something with it.


	27. Chapter 27

**Relic From the Seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

-27-

Signas walked out of the medibay and slowly made his way back to HQ's control room, thinking about the news he had just received from the staff. Prognosis on Pallette was positive; Lifesaver was confident he and his team would have her fixed in less than an hour because, while it was true that Pallette's body was highly customized, they did have the necessary parts to fix the damage she had received with considerable ease, even if most of her body would be slightly different. Axl's diagnosis, on the other hand, was grim. Lifesaver had managed to stabilize the young hunter but since Axl was a prototype, several of his damaged parts, like his copy chip and electronic brain, were unique and nobody in HQ had the ability to replicate or repair them. The best Lifesaver had been able to offer was to keep Axl alive but in stasis until a solution was found.

" _This is very problematic,_ " Signas thought as he went through recordings of what X, Alia, Zero and Layer had told him only minutes before. He now had confirmation that Lumine was not lying when he said he visited and activated some machines in Gate's laboratory ( _which was thankfully currently being purged of any virus activity by a heavily armed, all-human squad_ ), and that he, most likely posing as 'the Doctor', had hired Dynamo to test the Nightmare Drive, which he now planned on selling to desperate reploids once his bombs detonated. That brought him to the nuclear bombs. High Command had showed him the records of the facilities where the nukes were stored. Nothing there indicated any illegal activity; Lumine had been careful enough to extract the nukes in a way that they were never found to be missing. Now, the real problem wasn't that Lumine had those bombs; the true difficulty was the time limit he had established. They had to stop him before then, and Signas was certain it would not be an easy victory.

" _We only have thirteen hours left. If we're going to do something, we have to do it quickly. The first thing is to confirm whether Alia and Layer have managed to find where those nukes are so I can send X and Zero to sabotage Lumine's operation,_ " Signas thought, lamenting that his elite team was a member short.

As he walked, Signas tried to think of any new recruits who could invade a hostile area and dispatch a Maverick alone the way Zero and X could. He couldn't think of any and that was bad, since he was certain Lumine had eight generals guarding his bombs; it couldn't be any other way.

" _And even if I send X and Zero to different areas, chances are they won't be able to take down the eight Mavericks on time,_ " Signas reflected. " _A shame Repliforce or Red Alert aren't here anymore, with their help we could have dealt with this crisis faster…_ "

And as he evaluated several options to solve the current emergency, Signas resumed his way to control room…

=0=

Zero was not in a good mood. Seeing Axl and Pallette so damaged had infuriated him like few times before, and Lumine's return was only making him feel worse. All he really wanted to do was to go out there and stop that psychotic clown's plan, but without knowing where he had hidden his bombs, there was little he could actually do, so he instead paced around HQ's hallways trying to calm down, hoping Layer and the other navigators would find the location of the nukes soon. He also wondered where X was, as he hadn't seen him since he and Alia were giving their report to Signas.

"I did hear he brought another female reploid to HQ," Zero recalled as his anger subsided now that he could focus on something else. "Knowing X, I bet it was the Robot Master they found in Russia."

Thinking that meeting the mysterious robot was a better use of his time than walking around seething, the crimson hunter went to look for his best friend.

=0=

Where was she? He asked her to wait outside control room while he and Alia gave Signas their report, but when he walked out she was no longer sitting where he'd left her. Normally, X wouldn't leave control room during a mission, but he really couldn't allow Splash Woman to wander around HQ on her own! He feared she could try to join one of the scouting parties that were being sent to look for the nuclear bombs Lumine had planted around the world. That would be disastrous, as he believed Splash Woman was simply too weak to participate in a mission on her own.

And worrying about her whereabouts was something X didn't really need. He already had more than enough to worry about, now that he had seen Lumine's complete message… the blue hunter massaged his neck and sighed, lamenting how it didn't take long for another madman to appear and continue Sigma's war.

"We should have known he would come back," he muttered as he walked towards the stairs leading to the rooftop, the only place he hadn't checked yet. "Hell, Sigma came back eight times, why shouldn't Lumine do the same?"

He heard a note from her harp then. She was on the roof. Good, Splash Woman was still in HQ. X took in a deep breath, feeling calmer now that he knew her location. As he climbed the stairs he listened to her voice, and her song struck a chord in him. Who was she singing about?

He slowed down his ascent and paid attention to her, the lyrics of her song filling him with a strong emotion which almost paralyzed him. What she sang was this:

" _Will you ever listen to my hopeless song?_

 _I can live this way no more_

 _Missing your company and love_

 _Knowing that I am all alone, yet…_

 _In my heart you still live, you I'll never forget_

 _You are long gone but I feel you everywhere_

 _Even if I am alone, I know this will not be our end_

 _You are waiting for me, somewhere far, maybe near_

 _We will meet somewhere again_

 _An be together for all eternity_

 _I know my love will take me there…"_

That was all X could stand to listen to, the sadness in her voice was driving a nail through his core. What was torturing her so badly? Whose memory it was that haunted her like this? Feeling a strong need to comfort her, he opened the door leading to the rooftop and stepped outside, interrupting her song. It took him a moment to realize she had removed her helmet, and her shoulder length, ultramarine hair, cascading down to her shoulders, framed her face in a way that made her far more alluring. At that point she was like a true mermaid from legend, the kind who could draw you to the depths of the sea with her melancholic beauty alone.

"Are you alright?" He asked, blinking his thoughts on her attractiveness away, replacing them with an honest concern which marked his voice. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but you sounded so… sad."

Splash Woman stopped playing and put her harp away before she glanced in X's direction with downcast eyes, not really looking at him. Finally, she took a deep breath and then spoke.

"I'm sorry for worrying you. It's just that… this crisis is just too much for me and I miss him… _he_ was always so calm and collected when bad things happened, so trustworthy and capable. When _he_ arrived we knew things would be alright and… this situation with that Lumine villain, I truly can't understand it, why would he want to kill everyone? How can Lumine be so evil? If… if only _he_ were here… I'm sure he would know what to do, _he_ …"

"Who?" X asked, thinking that perhaps she was talking about the original Mega Man.

"Blues," she said as she turned to look at the city behind her. "Proto Man. I miss him, I miss him so much…"

" _Blues. The first one. The one all of us came from,_ " X thought, remembering his oldest brother and feeling pained at seeing the way his absence made her suffer. Listening to her, it was easy to believe Blues had been amazing. Hoping to better find a way to comfort Splash Woman, X summoned all information he had on Proto Man from his memory files and located an image he had filed as DLN-000. He blinked when he saw the red and grey clad Robot Master wore a long yellow scarf. He knew that, of course, but had forgotten the detail. Was that why Splash Woman gave him one? To see if he looked like Blues enough so he could help her remember him?

"I'm… I am _afraid_ , X," she admitted then, pulling him from his thoughts. "Doctor Wily never tried something like this. He was a bad, rotten man but he was _not_ genocidal. I don't even have any records of Wily ever killing anyone. But the monsters you fight now… Sigma and now this Lumine… I can't comprehend their evil, it goes beyond anything I ever had to face and I worry that we're all going to be destroyed. I don't know what to do!"

"Don't be afraid, Splash Woman," X told her. He walked to the robot mermaid and placed his hands on her shoulders, gently guiding her so she was facing him. "Yes. Lumine is insane and very dangerous, but I'll stop him. _We'll_ stop him. We've stopped him before and we'll do it again! Listen, I… I may not be Blues but I promise I won't let him hurt you. I promise he won't hurt anyone again. I swear Zero and I will stop him!"

Whatever Splash Woman was about to answer died in her lips the moment she heard the name 'Zero'. She had read about him, of course, the red hunter who had helped X save the world on multiple occasions, but for some reason, hearing X mention him triggered a reaction in her electronic brain. She analyzed it and found that the mention of Zero linked to something in her database. Something that she could not locate. Was the file missing? Did it get damaged along with the Three Laws of Robotics and her Primary Objectives? She was not sure, all she knew was that listening X mention Zero made her feel uneasy.

"Zero?" She asked, hoping that his answer would help appease her.

"My best friend," X said and smiled. "He's, similar to me in a few ways, you know? He can't be analyzed, but unlike me, we don't know who created him or for what purpose. He's a great hunter, though, and with him on our side we're as strong as an army!"

"Thanks for the praise, but I'm more than just a fighting machine," Zero said from the door, interrupting the conversation. He was smiling however, feeling strangely validated at seeing he had been right, that female robot had to be the Russian Robot Master. "I'm also the one who's always saving you when you jump headfirst into trouble."

X smiled and shook his head. "I guess I can't deny that. Any good news?"

Zero sighed. "No, Axl's condition remains stable and Pallette will be repaired soon… but I'm afraid the Navigator team has not found the nuclear bombs yet."

"That's unfortunate."

"They will find them, I trust them," Zero said, walking to where X and Splash Woman were. The female Robot Master surprised him more than he thought she would. Despite being older than X, her armor didn't look worn out at all. Her face and body were also almost as well made as Alia's or Layer's. Splash Woman was in fact so disturbingly close to reploid level that she could easily pass for one with no trouble at all.

" _I guess it makes sense,_ " Zero thought, eyes fixed on Splash Woman. " _She's technically only one generation behind X and also one of the last Robot Masters ever built, of course she would resemble us. I wonder how advanced her electronic brain really is? She is also not bad looking… hell, who am I kidding? She's a knock-out! I bet she's the reason why Alia has been in such a strange mood lately._ "

"You must be Splash Woman," Zero said, nodding politely as he approached. "X told me about you, it must be… difficult to fit in, given the current situation, but if we can help you…"

"Thank you for the offer. I… I must go. I'll go see if I can help Alia, please excuse me!" Splash Woman stammered in a low and trembling voice. Before X or Zero could reply, she picked up her helmet and hurried back into the building.

"She seemed afraid," Zero offered, feeling confused by her behavior.

"Not afraid, terrified" X corrected. "She was terrified. Of you."

"That's odd," the crimson hunter said with a dumbfounded frown. "I mean… why?"

"I honestly don't know," X sighed and walked back into the building, Zero following close behind him. "But I guess that'll have to wait until after we deal with Lumine."

=0=

Splash Woman leaned on the wall and took in a deep breath to cool off her systems. She made a conscious effort and finally managed to stop shivering. She ran a quick self-diagnosis then and found nothing wrong with her, which relaxed her a bit and helped her to recover from the irrational outburst that had forced her to rush back into the building.

"That was _horrible_." she murmured, reaching up to remove her helmet so she could properly tie her hair in a bun that wouldn't make wearing the head-piece uncomfortable. In her hurry to get away from Zero, she had barely paid attention to that detail.

"X probably thinks I was rude, but…" she shivered again as she remembered the moment Zero got close to her. The closer he was, the stronger the dread she experienced. It was as if her very core identified Zero as a threat so potent she couldn't do anything against it other than being completely repulsed by him. She was so terrified that she almost attacked him, and she couldn't understand why. Splash Woman did another search, and again she found nothing. But she did know there used to be a file in her brain that would explain what she felt. "If only I could restore my memory to its original state, then I am sure I could understand this…"

But there was no way to do that, so after a few seconds more of fruitless doubt, Splash Woman decided she had no other option but to do her best to tolerate Zero's presence until she understood why he sickened her so much.

" _I better go to control room like I said I would,_ " she thought as she straightened. " _I'm sure helping in any way I can will make me feel better._ "

=0=

Splash Woman entered control room to find the tall and imposing reploid named Signas facing a large screen. He was talking to Viktor and Nina Cossack. She ignored the questioning glances of the many navigators as she passed them and slowly approached Signas, not sure if she should interrupt him. Going by what she was hearing, though, the conversation involved her, so she decided it would be best if she was there.

"I'm afraid I don't know where she presently is, Doctor Cossack," Signas said. "We are in code red right now and I have other priorities."

" _She's behind you,_ " Nina observed with a playful grin.

Signas turned and noticed the mermaid Robot Master was, indeed, standing there. He cleared his throat and looked back at the Cossacks. " _Ahem_ … well, then that's solved. I'll send her to your lab as you requested."

"But I can't go back," Splash Woman declared, staring at the screen and regarding Viktor. "X may need my support."

" _Understandable, you can stay there until this is over,_ " Viktor said with a nod. " _Very well, is there any way we can help the Maverick Hunters? High Command has already briefed me on the Lumine situation, if there is anything Cossack Laboratories can do…_ "

"Actually, there is," Signas said. "One of our hunters was hurt in a confrontation with Lumine and we lack the parts to repair him. If you have them, we would appreciate it if you beam them here."

" _Who was hurt?_ " Nina asked

"Axl, the New Generation prototype. His parts are difficult to obtain, so can you help us? I can send you a list of what we need."

Viktor and Nina looked at each other, she nodded, placed a hand on his shoulder and finally, thanks to his wife's support, the scientist spoke. " _You don't have to send that list. Just send me a complete damage report and I'll bring enough parts to repair his full body to your base._ "

"You… will?" the Maverick Hunter Commander was surprised by this development. "I appreciate this, but… how do you know Axl's body that well? Are you sure you don't need a list, Doctor?"

" _No. Axl is my creation,_ " Viktor revealed. " _I built him when the High Command asked me to create a prototype for a new generation of reploids. But Axl escaped our labs before we finished testing his combat capabilities… it happened after he got a nasty blow to the head that scarred his face. I imagine he has no recollection of his creation, otherwise he would have returned home already."_

"But Doctor Cossack, then that means…" Alia began, she and Layer had approached the moment they heard he had created Axl.

"That the New Generations exist because of you," Layer completed.

Viktor lowered his face in shame. _"Yes. The High Command took my designs, modified them and included Sigma's last available data on the copy chips and then started production of the New Generation reploids, so in a way all of this is my fault. The Jakob incident, this crisis… all my fault._ "

"Don't blame yourself doctor," Signas said. "You couldn't know what your designs would be used for. We don't blame you."

" _Even if you don't, I still feel responsible,_ " Viktor said. " _And for that I wish to help you all as much as I can._ "

"In that case I'll instruct Lifesaver to offer any assistance you may need," Signas promised.

" _Good, I will be there in twenty minutes. Thank you,_ " the scientist concluded and ended communication.

"A Cossackbot," Splash Woman whispered, feeling relief that at least one of them was around. They were always trustworthy allies, and going by what she had read about Axl, that had not changed. Once he was fixed, she trusted Axl would do his best to support X, just as his predecessors had done for Rock when all the Wilybots…

"What do you mean a Cossackbot?" Alia asked.

The marine Robot Master smiled. "A Robot Master made by a Cossack, of course. The first eight of them really helped us Lightbots when we needed it, and I'm glad the tradition continues, even if it's only one of them helping X now."

"Three," Alia corrected with a gentle smile. "Signas and I were designed and built by Sergei Cossack, Viktor's father, so I guess that makes us Cossackbots, too."

"A nice and touching detail indeed," Signas interrupted, "But we don't have time to waste on such sentimentalities, Alia. Return to your post and continue looking for those bombs!"

"Ah… right away, Commander!" Alia stammered and then rushed back to her terminal.

"Can I help?" Splash Woman offered then, looking up at the tall officer.

"Thank you, but it isn't necessary. All our terminals are taken and we can't afford the time it would take teaching you how to use them, so please stay here and wait for Doctor Cossack, I'm sure he'll have something for you to do," Signas recommended, omitting the fact that Splash Woman was unable to interface with their operative systems to avoid embarrassing her. "Now, listen everyone, I have something urgent to do, but I'll be back as soon as I can. Continue working and call me if you find the bombs."

"Y-you're leaving?" An alarmed Layer almost screamed. "In the middle of an emergency?"

"Yes. Don't worry, I will return quickly," Signas promised.

"But…"

Layer didn't have a chance to finish her sentence, for Signas simply teleported out of HQ before she could.

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading.

In case you're wondering about Axl being a Cossackbot, I figured why not? It's not as if we know anything about him, Capcom has been very secretive about it so I decided to give him a proper origin. You can read a bit more about this in my other story titled "Reploids" which this story is a sequel of.


	28. Chapter 28

-28-

"Look at what they did to you," Viktor Cossack lamented once he was alone with Axl in the operating room. He had demanded he not be interrupted while he repaired his bot and, now that he finally was in front of Axl, he couldn't help but to feel a strong grief overcome him. Axl was his masterpiece, the best machine he had ever created! Seeing him so damaged was almost like seeing his own son, Mikhail Cossack, hurt.

" _But… you are my son, are you not?_ " Viktor thought, recalling Doctor Light had always regarded and cared for his creations as if they were his own children. Perhaps, then, he should do the same. Gently touching Axl's shoulder, Viktor nodded and accepted the thought: Mikhail was not his only child. Axl, too, was his son.

" _And that's why I'll fix you myself, boy."_ He swore as he started working. _"Because no father should have to see his son like this._ "

=0=

Instead of going to control room, where so far there weren't any news, X and Zero had decided to go to the medibay. They were happily surprised to see Viktor Cossack already there, working on Axl, and felt strongly reassured when Lifesaver confirmed that Pallette's repairs were already 74% complete. With some luck, she would be fully operational in less than thirty minutes.

"We were very fortunate," Lifesaver said looking back at the room where Pallette was being repaired. The only reason why he was able to be out here talking with the two most notorious Maverick Hunters was because Viktor Cossack's arrival had allowed him to organize his medical team so that most efforts were devoted to Pallette, since Doctor Cossack had demanded he was allowed to work alone on Axl.

"What about Axl?" X asked.

"From what I saw, Doctor Cossack will have him fixed very soon," Lifesaver informed them. "I admit I'm amazed by Doctor Cossack's skills; he's working on Axl so effectively it is as if he knew every one of his circuits by memory!"

"That's because Doctor Cossack created him," Splash Woman explained. She had gone to the medibay to see if X was there, but now that she had found him, and Zero along with him, the fear and revulsion she experienced when being close to the crimson hunter had returned. She did find it was somewhat easier for her to tolerate this time, however.

"That's even more amazing," Lifesaver exclaimed. "Doctor Cossack is certainly a genius. I'll have to go and ask him to let me observe him, it would be educational. If you'd excuse me…"

"I thought you would be here," the mechanical mermaid said once she was alone with X and Zero.

"Well, we can't let Axl alone, you know?" Zero said, hoping talking would help Splash Woman feel less threatened by him. It didn't work, as she simply stared at him and moved so she was behind X.

"That's so… considerate of you," she said, avoiding eye contact with the red armored hunter.

" _Zero, can you hear me?_ " Layer suddenly said over the communicator. " _We've located the nuclear weapons! Also, Signas just came back and wants to see you and X at once… but… there's someone else here… he is… oh, just hurry, please?_ "

"I'm on my way!" Zero said, he would have felt happy for the interruption, as it had saved him from the awkward situation Splash Woman had put the three of them in, but he was too intrigued by Layer's words about a visitor to even consider that, and one glance at his best friend told him he was also confused by the senior navigator's odd message. "Let's go, X, I want to know what's going on."

"Yeah, me too, Layer sounded strange," X answered before looking back at Splash Woman, "Are you coming?"

"I…" Splash Woman sighed. She had planned to stay here in the medibay and see if Viktor needed her help, but if X asked her to join him then she couldn't refuse. "Alright, let's go."

=0=

The first thing X and Zero saw when they entered control room was a contemplative Signas standing next to the main screen, just as he usually did. Alia and Layer were standing next to him, however, and they seemed very uneasy. Following the gaze of the navigators to a corner, the two hunters finally noticed Douglas and two members of his crew working on someone, but the mechanics blocked the identity of the mysterious visitor from sight.

"Done, the restrainer bands are set! With them on they won't be able to use their weapons inside HQ or to attack any of us," Douglas announced as he and his crew stepped back, revealing…

"Vile!" Screamed X, raising his buster and preparing a charged shot.

"X, hold on!" Signas interrupted, his commanding voice filling the control room.

"What the hell, Signas?" Zero asked, Z-Saber already in hand. "Why is Vile here?"

"And Scarlet, too," X observed, his buster still pointed at the two renegade hunters. Vile was silent for a change, but he seemed to be enjoying himself quite a bit.

"I brought them here," Signas declared. "With Axl hurt and no other hunter with field experience who is above B+ rank available at the moment, I concluded the only other available option for us was to recruit Vile and Scarlet for this operation."

"That's crazy!" X disputed. "He's going to betray us, he's…"

"Awww, why so angry, you insufferable blue stain?" Vile mocked. "Afraid I'm going to show you all how to get the job done again?"

"Shut the hell up, traitor!" X shouted. "The only reason I'm not blasting you in pieces is because Signas seems to have a use for you!"

"I bet you're already planning on a way to stab us in the back," Zero added with a frown.

"In case you didn't listen to what Douglas said, we can't use our weapons here," Scarlet cut in, pointing at the restraining bands on hers and Vile's upper arms. "These stupid inhibitors they put on us are programmed to deactivate our weaponry while in HQ or in case we try to attack anyone working for the Maverick Hunters."

"So unless you've finally learned how to shoot at those who can't fight back, X…" Vile said as he approached the blue hunter, stopping when their helmets were about to touch. "Then I guess we're going to be seeing a lot of each other, much as that fact makes me feel sick."

"You're not the only one who wants to puke…" Zero rejoined.

"Then we should all go together to the toilets, because I feel the same way as you two," Vile spat.

"I'm starting to regret not arresting you before… the idea of working with you _is_ revolting."

"Enough banter, we're wasting time," Signas interrupted. "I dislike having Vile here as much as you two, but until Lumine is defeated, he'll be working with us."

"I can't believe you're replacing Axl!" X accused.

"I'm not. He will return to active duty as soon as he's repaired," the Maverick Hunter Commander disputed. "We have a time limit to stop Lumine, X. The more high-ranked hunters participating on this mission, the better for us and the world."

"Fine, if that's the way you want this mission to go…" conceded the blue hunter. "But be warned that I'll keep an eye on Vile at all times, and the moment he does something suspicious…"

"Same goes for me," Zero said. "If I even suspect Vile's going to betray us, I'll personally turn him into scrap."

Vile laughed. "Hah! It feels so good to be loved, I'm _almost_ glad I'm back in this dump."

X simply groaned and crossed his arms. Feeling disgusted by Vile's mere presence, he chose to ignore his comments and sat on his spot, eyes closed while he prepared to listen to Signas instructions. X was fervently hoping that this idea wouldn't end up biting them all in the rear, and was starting to brood when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder and another on his arm. Looking up, he saw Splash Woman was sitting on his left while Alia sat to his right. He managed a smile for them, thankful for their support. He then noticed Zero was standing next to Layer, having gone to her to find some reassurance.

Vile and Scarlet stood close to each other, not caring much about what the other hunters did. Vile, however, did notice X seemed to have two girlfriends now, and gleefully filed the information so he could pester him with some really nasty jokes about it later.

"Scarlet, you'll stay here and work as Vile's navigator," Signas announced.

"What?" the former hunter asked, feeling rather insulted about the order. "I'm a class A hunter! I don't…"

"You started as a navigator," the Commander reminded her. "Besides, none of our navigators agreed to work with you or Vile; so you'll have to support him in that role."

"He and I don't need a navigator," Scarlet disputed.

"I'd rather you did that for me," Vile said then, deciding it would be better for him if Scarlet stayed in HQ. "Should be interesting, I've never had one before."

Hearing that Vile wanted her to be his navigator was all it took for Scarlet to blush and nod. She loved when Vile needed her for something, and if he wanted her to do this, then she'd do it to the best of her abilities. "Very well, for you I will."

"Good, now that that's settled, let me give you the information we have collected," Signas said.

The Maverick Hunter Commander pressed a button and the mug shots of eight reploids appeared on screen. One of the pictures caused Splash Woman to gasp. She couldn't understand why he had decided to go Maverick. It didn't make any sense to her, unless he had gotten infected by those horrible Nightmare Virus things she had seen earlier.

"We detected strong mechaniloid activity in these eight locations not too long ago, and using our satellites we confirmed that in each one a massive Tunnel Boring Machine had been activated. Closer inspection revealed the nuclear bombs were there as well."

"Those TBMs are Tunneler-D16 models," Vile provided, arms crossed as he looked at the satellite images on the screen. "Very well-armored, it won't be easy to destroy them and…"

"Nobody asked you," Zero interrupted then, to which Vile replied by giving him the finger.

"Anyway… we also detected the signals of the eight reploids you see here," Layer said, pointing at the screen. "We have already identified them in our databases."

"They are staying close to the nuclear bombs at all times, obviously guarding them," Signas rejoined. "These Mavericks are…

"Tsunami Mako. His weapon is the Tsunami Wave. He's guarding the Tunneler that has started drilling next to the Deep Sea Laboratory.

The next one is Bomb Triceraton. His special weapon is the Triple Bomb. He's taken over the large mechaniloid factory in Delta city, the Tunneler and the nuke are in the factory's large testing grounds.

Then we have Thunderbolt Falcon. His special weapon is the Electric Hurricane. He is guarding the Tunneler deep in the eastern mountains, to reach him you'll have to go through the Aeronautics Research Center.

After that is Claw Leoparder. His special weapon is the Flash Claw. He protects the Tunneler in an archaeological excavation site located in the savanna.

The following Maverick is Flame Scorpion. His special weapon is the Fire Stinger. His Tunneler is drilling next to an old, abandoned military base in the desert.

Now's the turn of Acidflow Venus Trap. His special weapon is the Acidic Bubble. He is protecting the Tunneler drilling in the southern jungles, and he's hiding in the Weather Control Tower.

We also have Magnetoid Mole. His weapon is the Magnet Barrier. He is hiding in an emergency mine and his Tunneler is already underground, but we estimate he has to drill much deeper before he can place the nuke he protects in position.

The last one is Frostbite Fox. Her weapon is the Ice Slither. She has captured the Air Purifier Station located in the northern forests. Her Tunneler is near the station, and has also started drilling," Signas concluded. "Any questions?"

"Yeah, which one of those ugly freaks do I get to fight?" A voice said from the control room's door.

"We're reporting for active duty, sir!" a second voice said.

X, Zero, Alia and Layer immediately turned, having recognizing the voices of Axl and Pallette, and couldn't help but rush to meet their repaired comrades. Alia and Layer couldn't help but hug both the younger members of the elite team, while X and Zero were simply content with fist bumping Axl and patting Pallette in the back.

"We thought it would take longer for you to be repaired, I'm so glad you're back online!" X said.

"Lifesaver and his team are just that good," Pallette grinned.

"And I was lucky enough to have my creator here to fix me," Axl said with an uncharacteristically soft smile. He looked back and offered a thumbs-up at his father, who was standing by the door. "I really owe Doctor Cossack a big one for this."

"You owe me nothing, _son_ ," Viktor said. "A long as you help X stop Lumine, I'll be amply rewarded."

"That's all nice and everything, but we don't have time for the whole sentimental crap," Vile interrupted. "We're four now, so that means each of us gets two Mavericks to scrap."

"Despite his uncalled for rudeness," Signas said, glaring at the renegade hunter. "Vile is correct, my plan is to send each of you to different areas so that we can defeat the Mavericks, stop the Tunnelers and call our bomb squadrons to deactivate the nukes before Lumine is ready to detonate them. You will have to upload the weapon data you collect from each Maverick General to our new Weapon Database so that the four of you can share it during the mission."

"Not a bad strategy," Zero admitted. "Very well then, let's get to work!"

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading this chapter.

Very well, we have now the standard structure of the game, which I found adapts well in written form.


	29. Chapter 29

-29-

He swam slowly, overlooking the Tunneler-D16 as it continued boring into the rocky ocean floor. He went even deeper with a quick move of his tail and once near the bottom, the reploid turned and increased his speed, completely destroying a large crystal corridor as if it were nothing, severing the only passage connecting the Deep Sea Laboratory's two sections. Pleased with his handiwork, he spun around and extended his arms and legs in a triumphant pose, for he was the master of this ocean… _Tsunami Mako_!

=0=

X arrived to the Deep Sea Laboratory and looked around, glad that no hostile mechaniloids were in this storage room, the only one where he had been able to teleport in. It would give him time to sort his thoughts. He still felt uneasy about Vile being part of the mission, but he decided to put that aside for the time being. If he betrayed them, as he was sure Vile would, they'd deal with the traitor, simple as that.

The hunter took a few steps toward the door leading to the next room, finding it lead to a corridor with large windows he could see the deep sea through. This reminded him of how much Splash Woman had insisted in coming with him to this mission, and how difficult it had been to dissuade her until she had promised she would stay at HQ…

" _X, can you hear me?_ " Alia said over the communicator. " _Satellite readings indicate the laboratory has suffered structural damage further ahead, be careful, you may find flooded areas._ "

"Thank you, Alia, I'll keep it in mind," X said. "Please let me know if you discover something else."

" _Will do, Alia out,_ " the navigator promised.

Performing one last self-diagnosis and finding all his systems were at 100%, X finally entered the corridor.

=0=

"Is there anything I can do?" Splash Woman asked. She was sitting behind Alia, and was bored of simply watching how she and the other girls helped their assigned hunters navigate the areas they had been sent to. Layer was busy giving Zero information about the mechaniloids he was encountering, Pallete focused on providing Axl with the layout of the terrain he was traversing and Scarlet on giving Vile a list of locations where Ride Armors could be find in his area.

"I'm afraid not, Splash Woman, I'm sorry," Alia said. "I know you want to help, but this situation is so far under control."

"I understand that, it's just that…" The Robot master sighed. "I don't like feeling useless."

"You aren't useless," the blonde navigator said, turning to face her friend. "Remember Gate's lab? Without you there we may not have survived."

"Yes but… that was then," Splash Woman said. "This is now."

Alia tapped her chin and nodded. "I guess if you want to help, you could go and see Douglas. He's working on X's armors, since they were made around the time you were active, there may be things you know that we don't."

"Oh, yes, X's armor system!" the mermaid smiled. "I'm a little bit familiar with it, I remember seeing schematics of some of the armors Doctor Light was planning to create for him. Which armors do you have? I know there are at least nine sets of them."

"X has found more than those," Alia stated. "But many were destroyed during his fights with Sigma and Lumine, only a few have survived."

"Really? Which ones?"

"The Blade Armor, The Glide Armor and the Gaea Armor," the navigator said. "But the Gaea Armor is on maintenance so that one can't be used now."

"None of those sound familiar," Splash Woman admitted. "Perhaps if I could see them. Hm… I think you're right, Alia. I'll better go see Douglas."

"Can you find his workshop on your own?" Alia asked. "I'm afraid I can't leave my post."

"I'm sure I can, don't worry."

=0=

The buster shot hit the crustacean-like mechanilaod right in the middle, destroying it in one hit. It was the last of an enemy barrage that had tried to block X's path, and he was glad it was over. The little robots weren't powerful, but they had been numerous. According to his calculations, X had destroyed seventy five of them.

"I must be getting close to my mark," he muttered. So far there'd been no flooded areas and he had managed to reach the top of the laboratory. Going by his map of the facilities, he was only two rooms away from the underwater corridor which connected section A of the lab to section B. Something he would need to do since the Tunneler was digging behind section B.

" _X, do you copy?_ "

"Yes, Alia, something wrong?"

" _I was able to get a clear view of the lab, the interference in the area is gone, now,_ " she said. " _I'm sorry but the underwater corridor was destroyed. You can't reach section B from where you are._ "

"…Are you serious?" Asked X, looking at the sea bottom from one of the large windows. "I can go by foot, but it'll take me at least an hour!"

" _Hm… perhaps you won't have to,_ " Alia said after one instant. " _I'm seeing a list of the vehicles that were in the lab. You can find maintenance submarines near the corridor. If you can use one…_ "

"I can reach section B!" X completed, "That's great!"

" _You're welcome, but be careful out there._ "

=0=

The maintenance submarine handled well and X had no trouble navigating the space between the lab's sections. No trouble, that is, until something rammed the submarine from below with such force it was sent spinning off course, crashing right outside section B's gates.

"What was that?" X said as he climbed out of the wrecked submarine. He checked his systems and found the impact had caused him minimum damage, as his power core was now at a healthy 96%. He looked around, expecting to find an Utuboros nearby but no. What he found was Tsunami Mako approaching him at incredible speed.

"Greetings, X," the shark reploid said once he was close enough. "I wasn't expecting you."

"And I wasn't expecting you to go Maverick, Mako," replied X. "Why did you join Lumine?"

"My reasons are a secret," the shark answered. "Now let's fight X, show me if you really are worthy!"

"Worthy of what?" X asked, but had no time to follow the question as he was forced to dodge Mako's ramming attack. The blue hunter had to dodge three more times as he analyzed Tsunami Mako's speed, all the while charging his buster. Once X had calculated his foe's speed and probable patterns, he spun in the water gracefully and unleashed a charged energy shot at the hostile shark-based reploid, hitting his enemy in the back. He kept the pressure on, and sent several other solar bullets at the Maverick, all of them hitting him in the arms or legs.

Mako was forced to go up in order to avoid the continued fire, his systems telling him he had received severe damage from X's barrage. His power core was now at 65% and his armor cracked. Unsurprising, he wasn't heavily armored to allow for his extra speed; the only part of his body that had solid protection was his head and jaws. He circled X from out of range a few times, considering his situation. He had joined Lumine months before, mostly because he knew Lumine was too powerful to defy and, also, because he estimated that living underwater gave him optimal chances to survive his nuclear holocaust. Splash Woman and her interest in X, however, had given Mako an additional motivation. He now supported Lumine hoping it would mean X's destruction, because he believed that would help him make Splash Woman his.

He was then hit with a charged shot again, this time in the chest.

" _How the…?_ " Mako winced as he was alerted that his power core was now at 45% and his chest armor was pretty much gone. How had X managed to reach him? A quick look revealed his adversary had climbed section B's walls until he reached a ledge from where he could shoot him again. " _Damn it! I can't beat him without better preparations, two more hits like this and I'm gone!_ "

"Give up, Mako," X warned. "This is the only chance you'll get!"

" _Curse him!_ " Mako thought stopping and floating motionless, arms up as he regarded X and analyzed their fight, hoping to find a way to win. He understood his mistake had been not making sure the submarine blew up after his initial attack to cause additional damage to X. That error had cost him the element of surprise and now he just couldn't do much. X's buster shots were devastating for someone with light armor like himself and if he continued fighting he would be destroyed for sure and Splash Woman would never be his.

" _This isn't the right time to take my sweet mermaid from him…_ " He decided. " _I'll yield, help him a bit, make up some excuse and then, if I'm lucky, Lumine will kill him for me and if he doesn't, I can always prepare a better trap later… yes, I think that's the best I can do for now._ "

"If I give up, do you promise to defeat Lumine?" Mako asked, doing his best to appear remorseful and more injured than he really was. "The only reason I'm helping him is because he said he would spare the city where I was built if I did."

"I promise," X said, lowering his buster. "I'll stop him, he won't hurt anyone."

"Very well, I give up," the mechanical shark said, smiling in triumph as he confirmed X was as trusting and naïve as he had heard. Glad his strategy had worked, Mako swam to X and shook his extended hand. "Now come with me, I'll help you."

=0=

"You have to deactivate the Tunneler from this room," Mako explained as he pressed a large yellow button. They were in a large room located at the very top floor of section B, overlooking a large area where the Tunnel Boring Machine had been working. The nuclear bomb was also there, waiting to be carried deep underground.

"Good, then that takes care of this one," X smiled, pleased that he had completed this mission without having to retire another reploid. "Thank you, Mako."

"Yeah, don't mention it," he said. "Once Lumine hears of this he'll try to turn me into scrap."

"You can go to HQ; you'll be safe there and even get repairs."

"No, that's not necessary. I have friends who can fix my armor; after that I'll just hide in the deepest parts of the sea, he surely won't find me there," Mako said with a shrug.

"As you wish, but if you change your mind…"

"HQ is always there," Tsunami Mako completed. He didn't show it, but the Maverick was quite pleased his little ruse was working so well, so he decided to add the last touch to his plan. "X… why don't you copy my weapon? I'm sure it will be useful."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, go ahead," the shark said extending his arm.

X placed his right hand over Mako's forearm and activated his Weapon Copy system. In less than a second, X had successfully copied the shark's special weapon, the Tsunami Wave, which would create a powerful water stream.

"Thank you, Mako."

"Eh, don't mention it. Well… see ya'round, X… see ya'round," the shark said with a low voice as he walked out of the room, entering a special depressurizing chamber that opened into the ocean.

"I hope the others have it this easy as well," the blue hunter mused as he saw Tsunami Mako swimming away. Once the shark reploid was out of sight, X called Alia and requested that one of the bomb squads High Command had facilitated to the Maverick Hunters was sent to his location.

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading this chapter.

There's a reason why Tsunami Mako wasn't destroyed but we'll get to that later in the story.

Speaking of Mako, his introduction at the beginning of the chapter is based on the animated intro sequences for each Maverick in the PS1 version of Mega Man X3. I thought it would be interesting to try doing something like that.

The Utoboros are the big snake mechaniloids that serve as minibosses in Launch Octopus stage in the original Mega Man X.


	30. Chapter 30

-30-

He emerged from the sands with a powerful jump and landed next to a Forthold-L3 tank. He used his large pincers to crack open the tank's thick armor and then jumped back so he could aim his tail and shot a mighty fiery blast at the tank, engulfing it in all consuming flames until the vehicle was nothing but molten metal. Satisfied, the reploid arthropod extended his large pincers in celebration, confident he was the king of fire… _Flame Scorpion!_

=0=

Axl shot down another Spiky, jumping over it to avoid the ensuing explosion. This was the tenth of the wheel-like mechaniloids he had so far encountered and, while it was easy to get rid of them, they made going through the rock path that crossed the desert around the military base an annoying chore. Still, he remained focused on his goal, which was arresting Flame Scorpion after he had paid him back for what he did.

" _Stop, Axl,_ " Pallette said over the communicator. " _I'm detecting something in front of you, let me complete the analysis before you continue._ "

"Is it bad?" he asked, taking this chance to reload his guns manually before starting his descent into a large depression surrounded by dunes, the fastest route to reach the abandoned base.

" _Could be, I'll tell you in a second,_ " she replied. "… _Yes, it's bad. There are fire traps ahead; going by what I'm receiving here they're proximity activated._ "

"I'll keep it in mind when I go through this area."

" _There's more, I got the trap's model from our database,_ " the young navigator said. " _They're industrial waste disposal devices, once activated they won't stop. They are programmed to unleash a burst of fire at set intervals, several thousand degrees hot, until they burn out all their fuel._ "

"I can't survive that… I would be destroyed in one hit," Axl lamented. "I'll be careful, thank you for telling me."

" _Anytime,_ " she said. " _Axl… are you alright? You sound… more serious than usual._ "

"Yeah, I'm fine," he told her. "It's just… this one is important. I have to do it for me… and for you."

"… _I see,_ " Pallette audibly sighed. " _Please don't act reckless in battle; I want you back here in HQ in one piece, understood?_ "

"Understood," Said Axl. "Don't worry, Pally. I'll be with you soon."

=0=

"Pally?" Layer said as she stared a Pallette with a smug smile. "My, my, you already have pet names for each other?"

"What? Layer… you… huh… we…." Pallette stammered and turned red. She had kept her relationship with Axl mostly a secret from her coworkers, and didn't know what to say now that she was under the spotlight.

"We all know you two are dating but haven't made it official," Alia offered, her voice acquiring a conciliatory tone as she turned to look at Layer "Just like Layer and Zero are."

It was now the time for Layer to turn red at the observation.

"Says the only one who has a rival here…" Scarlet said with a laugh, not turning to look at the other Navigators. "Girls, your problem is that you don't tell your men what you want. Have some backbone, ladies! Men are too thick-headed to understand subtlety, so just walk to them and say what you want straight to their faces!"

"I can believe such a crude approach would work on Vile," Layer said. "You two really deserve each other."

"And don't forget it," finished Scarlet with a satisfied grin.

=0=

Axl dashed left and then quickly right, dodging the killer pillars of flame which erupted on both sides. He reached the edge of a spike pit. It was very wide, so he had to perform a dash-jump to cross over most of it, and then hovered the last stretch until he finally reached the other side of the hole.

"That was risky…" the young hunter admitted to himself, as he finally was able to relax for a moment. He looked down at the scorched paint on his boots and lamented the fact the severe heat had managed to cause him harm. His core was now at 85% and while that wasn't a reason to worry, it was bad enough to keep in mind. Deciding that avoiding combat until finding Flame Scropion was the best option he had, Axl moved to the right so he could kneel behind a tall rock and from there he peeked out at the military base ahead. There were several Runnerbombers patrolling the area and further down the road he saw something big, similar to a Ride Armor in a sense, but the big machine more closely resembled a large, red Tyrannosaurus head set on two legs.

"Pallette," he called. "I need you."

" _I'm here, what can I do for you?_ "

"There's a big thing down the road, I don't know what it is."

" _Yeah, I can see it on the satellite view,_ " she said. " _Let me run it through HQ's database…_ "

Axl sat while he waited, his mind wondering to the recent events. He had been used by Lumine as a puppet, and the world was now in danger as a result. It made him feel deep guilt, and even if he understood there was nothing he could have done about it, he still felt responsible and was determined to do something about it. Something else haunting him was the anger he felt for what that New Generation psychopath had done to Pallette; _that_ was the one thing he could never forgive.

" _I guess that's something I have in common with my creator… we both feel responsible for the damage the New Generations have caused_ ," Axl thought. He then remembered when he woke up after being repaired. The first thing he saw was Pallette, who he later heard insisted on being there for him and then he saw Viktor Cossack, his creator. The prototype smiled softly as he recalled that moment and the way Doctor Cossack explained what he did to fix him and how he had improved what he called the 'Weapon Copy System' to be faster. The scientist then stood there in silence for a moment until he finally revealed he was his maker, and smiled as he called him ' _son_ '. Listening to that revelation had brought forth a damaged video file that linked back to the day he was first activated; in that video, all that could be seen was a loop of Doctor Cossack saying: ' _Good morning, Axl. I am Viktor Cossack, your creator._ " Axl had always dismissed that file, never accessing it because it was damaged and he had even meant to delete it one day, but never got around to it. He was now glad he never did, because it confirmed he was no longer a lost child.

"That means… I am no longer like Zero and X…" he realized. "I know both who my creator is and I can see him in person every day. I… I _have_ a father."

" _It's an old REX-2000,_ " Pallette said then, cutting Axl's meditations short. " _I'm sorry, where you saying something else?_ "

"No, nothing really, just thinking out loud," he said, his eyes on the REX-2000, wondering how he was going to get rid of that thing. He didn't have any weapon strong enough to destroy it. He then noticed that one of the Runnerbombers approached the gates, saluted the Mad Joey piloting the REX-2000 before the gates opened, letting the first mechaniloid in.

Axl smiled, he now knew he would be able to get in the base, no problem. "It'll be a piece of cake."

" _What do you mean?_ " Pallette asked.

"Copy Shot," he said. "I just saw a Runnerbomber get in the base, I'll use a disguise to get in."

" _Yeah! That should work,_ " Pallette said with a happy tone. " _Good luck!_ "

After ending communication, Axl spared a few seconds to analyze the patter the Runnerbombers moved through the area they were protecting and, once he felt confident he had it, rushed to the next rock, and then the next one, until he was close enough to one of the humanoid mechaniloids.

"Ok, here we go…" he whispered and, taking aim, shot a copy bullet at the Runnerbomber, which allowed him to obtain the mechaniloid's DNA data. He then used his A-Trans skill to transform into an almost exact replica of the Runnerbomber. This done, Axl approached the base's massive gates, walking casually, avoiding any unwanted attention until he was in front of the REX-2000.

"What is it?" the Mad Joey asked. "Go back to your spot."

"Power core needs recharging," Axl said. "Self-preservation protocols in my systems dictate I ask for a refill."

The Mad Joey remained silent, processing what he head until he nodded and moved the massive vehicle to the side. The doors opened a second after.

"Very well, go get it and then return," the Joey ordered. "Scorpion said a hunter could arrive any minute, we can't be careless."

"I will."

Grinning inwardly, the prototype strolled into the base…

=0=

Axl used his rapid fire skills to get rid of a line of Metall-D2's and quickly dashed into the next corridor. He was already one room away from the rear exit of the base, and could now hear the loud noise of the Tunneler digging through the sand and rock. He'd bet the nuclear bomb was also out there.

Not wanting to waste more time, he rushed into the next room.

=0=

The young hunter was about to exit the base from the back door but he never got the chance because his nemesis fell from the roof to block the only exit, his pincers at the ready and flaming stinger aimed at him.

"Flame Scorpion!" Axl shouted, shooting a string of bullets at the maverick. "You coward, I'll make you pay for what you did!"

"Heh… Me, pay?" The Maverick chuckled, blocking Axl's bullets with his pincers. "Do you even know how powerful Lumine is this time? Only an idiot would defy him, and since your bullets can't hurt me, it seems you only one came here to die!"

Before Axl could react, Scorpion dashed in and grabbed him with his massive pincers, only to throw him hard against the wall. The prototype was able to roll to the left just as he touched ground, and just in time, for Scorpion followed his initial attack with a burst of fire that melted part of the floor.

"You'll have to do better than that!" Axl said and kicked the wall to jump straight at Scorpion twisting at the last moment to deliver a strong kick right in the Maverick's face, staggering him but not dropping him as Axl had planned.

"Good move, brat," Scorpion conceded as he steadied himself returning the favor with a quick swing of his right pincer, missing Axl by millimeters. "Nice dodge, but that won't save you!"

With that, Scorpion brought down his tail with blinding speed, sinking his stinger into Axl's back and injecting boiling oil inside him, earning the maverick a scream of pain from the young hunter, who fell on his knees and then rolled on his back, trying to do something about the painful heat torturing him in ways he had never experienced before.

" _Axl, your power core is at 43% and dropping quickly!_ " Pallette screamed. " _Teleport out of there!_ "

"Not… yet!" Axl growled, forcing his systems to compensate for the internal damage as he got back on his feet. As he focused on ignoring the pain, Axl decided that the only way he could win this was by taking out that stinger. "He has to be punished first, Pallette!"

"I'll keep your head as a trophy, kid!" Scorpion declared as he brought his pincers down hard, aiming for Axl's neck.

"Never!" the Prototype shouted and leapt out of the way. He used his back thrusters to hover in place and took careful aim at Scorpion's tail. Perhaps his pincers were too strong for his bullets, but the tip of that stinger…

Axl took the shot.

And hit! The Axl bullet hit its target, lodging itself in the tip of Scorpion's stinger, something that caused the maverick to swing his tail madly as he tried to get rid of the slug obstructing it.

"Try to burn me again, idiot!" the young hunter taunted. "Your tail's useless now!"

"My pincers aren't!" Scorpion retorted and took a swing at the hunter, but he missed again as Axl simply hovered back.

" _Axl, good news,_ " Pallette said then. " _Captain X just uploaded the Tsunami Wave to the Weapons Database, try to use it with your weapon copy!_ "

"As expected from X," Axl grinned and downloaded the special weapon, which he then combined with his Weapon Copy System. Axl's Weapon Copy System differed from X's Variable Weapon System and Zero's Learning System in that he didn't duplicate the Special Weapon like X could, since he lacked a buster, and he didn't learn a new technique like Zero did. What Axl did was adapt a Special Weapon into a new gun for him to use.

And the Tsunami Wave had sure delivered.

Axl turned off his hover jets and landed, wincing a bit as touching ground sent a wave of pain all through his back. But he now held in his hands a fearsome-looking rifle, its name flashing on his mind: the Tsunami Gun.

"That won't help you, brat!" Scorpion threatened and dashed at Axl. "Your life ends here!"

"I don't think so," Axl disputed and shot Flame Scorpion with his new rifle, which unleashed a powerful stream of water that hit the fire Maverick right in the chest.

The effect was tremendously destructive, as the sudden change in temperature caused by the water caused Scorpion's super-heated armor to crack and fall apart, revealing the burning core of the fire based maverick.

"Don't think you've won!" Flame Scorpion sentenced and jumped high, planning on trampling Axl and then disemboweling him with his mighty pincers.

"I already did," the young hunter said and shot the Tsunami Gun again.

The water stream hit Scorpion in the chest again, and it forced his core to overheat to the point it exploded, destroying Flame Scorpion completely with a loud blast. All that remained of the maverick once the dust settled were a few parts scattered around the room, the most important of them being his weapon chip, which Axl picked up and analyzed, uploading the weapon information into the database once he completed the process.

"This was just what you deserved, Scorpion, and Lumine is next." Axl muttered as he finally left the room.

=0=

Outside, Axl found a control panel set on a platform that overlooked a sea of dunes and sand. Not too far away he saw the nuke, resting on a wheeled platform and further ahead, the massive Tunneler-D16, with its gigantic main drill and the five secondary ones was moving in reverse from the hole it was digging. The automatic machine opened several vents the size of Ride Chasers and expelled hot steam from them. Axl looked down at the panel and pressed series of buttons, which caused the Tunneler to change directions and surround the base, he heard a few explosions a couple of minutes later, followed by the sound of the Tunneler shutting off.

"Pallette, it's done," He called. "Send the bomb squad to the area, the coast is clear."

" _The Tunneler-D16 isn't in its previous location,_ " she observed. " _But it's now deactivated, what did you do with it?_ "

"I sent it to crush the REX-2000 before shutting it off," Axl explained after he drank the energen fluid from his subtank to recharge his power core. "No need to let the bomb squad guys deal with it."

"I see. _Will you come back to HQ?_ "

"Yeah, I kind of need some repairs," Axl sighed. "I hope they won't take long. See you in a second."

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading this chapter.

The REX-2000 is a sub-boss found in Dr. Doppler's lab in Mega Man X3. It normally takes a lot to defeat it, and Axl didn't have any Special Weapons here, so I think it makes sense he would want to avoid fighting it.


	31. Chapter 31

-31-

Reconnaissance Team-G was small, formed by only three young hunters who specialized in scouting locations where maverick activity was suspected. Their leader was Kobalto, a blue-armored hunter who used an electric rod to fight and was at present spying through the trees near the massive Air Purifier Central located in the Nordic forests. Behind him was Bruna, who used his shield and tremor mace in combat and to Kobalto's left stood Perlo, who fought using her wind spear. The three had been sent to this area to confirm what the satellites found, since the heavy clouds didn't allow for a completely accurate image. They had dutifully reported that the Tunneler and the nuclear bomb were there, and should have left the area already, but…

"We should be able to enter the central unnoticed," Bruna said. "What do you think, Kobalto?"

"I think this isn't going to end well," Kobalto answered. "I'm the team's leader, I don't know how you two convinced me this was a good idea!"

"You agreed because if we capture her, our ranks will go from B to A. This is our chance!" Perlo said. "I knew her before she defected, I think we can beat her together… so let's go, guys!"

She observed the three hunters from behind a large tree, her white armor and the thick white fur covering her shoulders, forearms, boots and tail helping camouflage her frame so effectively it would have taken specs the reconnaissance team lacked for her to be detected. She waited until the three formed a line and then dashed in complete silence until she was behind the one in brown armor. Quietly, undetected, she lightly touched his shoulder and then vanished between the trees. Bruna walked two steps before his systems warned him a severe inner temperature drop was damaging his circuits. Before he could even scream, an internal explosion of cold froze him solid where he stood. Kobalto looked back a few moments later, just to find his best friend had turned into an ice statue. Alarmed, he rushed to Bruna's side without calling Perlo, and that proved to be a fatal mistake, for a quick shadow jumped over him, touching his helmet roughly. Kobalto was able to activate his elec-rod and point it to where he saw the stranger hit the ground, but he completely froze from the head down before he could actually attack her.

"Something wrong, guys?" Perlo asked out loud, turning back when she couldn't hear her partners. She gasped in fear when all she could see in the distance were the frozen shapes of Bruna and Kobalto. "Oh, no, it can't be! Bruna, Kobalto!"

"Don't worry about your friends, you'll join them soon," a voice said behind Perlo.

"You!" the female hunter said as she spun and activated her wind spear, but before she could do anything with it her chest was pierced by a sharp ice needle, and her body and systems quickly froze into solid ice.

"Yes, me…" The white-armored maverick said as she placed her hands defiantly on her hips, staring at the three frozen statues, pleased by her victory as it confirmed her place as the Mistress of ice… _Frostbite Fox_!

=0=

The crimson hunter landed in the middle of the snow-covered forest and ducked behind a frozen shrub as he assessed the situation. He was a few miles from the Air Purifier Central, from where the signal controlling the Tunneler was being transmitted. Zero knew quite well what to do, he had to reach the central, find the control room and shut it all off. It really shouldn't take him too long, but he knew it would be foolish to take this lightly. Frostbite Fox was a former A ranked Maverick Hunter, which meant she should have prepared the area well enough to repel any infiltration.

"And zones controlled by ice-based mavericks are always a pain to get through," Zero murmured as he checked his power core to make sure he was at 100% before dashing into the forest. "Not to mention I'm not looking forward to seeing Frostbite Fox again."

He found a deep hole after climbing a slope and had to stop in order to look around for a way to get over it. He found a ledge a few meters down on one side that seemed safe, so he double jumped in that direction, landing on it with no difficulty. He was about to repeat the maneuver with another double jump when the wall to his left trembled and part of it crumbled into the bottom of the hole.

" _Zero, there's an Eyezard nearby!_ " Layer provided. " _It will be difficult to fight him where you are; try to lure it out of that pit_."

"I will try." the red hunter said and waited while the Eyezard floated out of the wall.

" _It is weak to fire attacks, but…_ "

"Axl hasn't beaten Flame Scorpion yet, I gather?" Zero guessed as he dodged the several ice shards the Eyezard shot his way by climbing the wall with a series of quick jumps.

" _He's currently navigating an area full of fire traps,_ " the lavender-haired navigator said. " _But it seems a strong impact could also work well against this particular Eyezard, my readings indicate its armor is somewhat damaged._ "

"Oh, really?" Zero grinned. "That gives me an idea."

" _I'm sure it'll work_ , _good luck, Zero._ "

Zero dodged a second round of ice shards by double jumping out of the hole, finally landing on the other side of it. He considered rushing and leaving the Eyezard behind, but the machine was nothing if not stubborn, and it chased him out of the pit, now surrounded in a thick coat of ice that sprouted spikes all around it, effectively becoming a frozen spike ball. Zero, understanding the ice mechaniloid was determined to fight, dashed to the left so he stood near a tall tree and prepared his Z-saber, waiting for the exact moment to execute his plan.

And that moment came soon enough. The Eyezard launched itself at Zero with the intention of crushing him, something the hunter used to his advantage with a vertical slice… aimed at the tree behind him. As he expected the massive tree fell, completely crushing the ice-based mechaniloid under it.

" _That was effective,_ " Layer rejoined.

"Yeah, thanks for telling me its armor was damaged," Zero said with a smile. "If I had tried fighting it head on I would probably have received some damage, Eyezards can be dangerous."

" _You're welcome, Zero… but don't get confident, there are several Ray Bits hiding in the snow ahead of you, but their size makes it difficult to tell exactly where they are,_ " Layer informed. " _On the other hand, I can't detect any other type of enemy around you._ "

"Good to know, I'll be careful then," the red hunter promised. "Let me know if you see anything unusual."

" _Will do, Layer out._ "

=0=

Splash Woman, sitting on a large crate, rested her chin on her right hand and let out a sigh. She had offered Douglas her help with X's armors but after one look, she decided the armors were simply too complex for her to be of any help. She could recognize a few things in the armors that were familiar to her and definitively marked them as creations of her maker, but the way they were built into the armor's circuitry had left her completely confused.

In the end she found she wasn't able to help again, and that was depressing her.

"Hey, don't feel bad," Douglas said, sitting next to her. "To be honest I don't understand the armors either. I only replace the wiring or the metal plates that are damaged, clean them and check their inner battery. But if you asked me to actually fix one I wouldn't know what to do. Nobody alive can replicate them… well, Alia came close."

"Oh?" Splash Woman was interested on that last part. "What do you mean?"

"Alia was able to reproduce X's fourth armor," Douglas said as he scratched his cheek. "But she couldn't replicate all of its functions. She also tried to duplicate the third armor but she wasn't able to understand the chip system included in that one. To be honest, none of her reproductions has been complete; her duplicate of the fourth armor was only functional to about 70% capacity of the original."

"That's… that's actually very impressive," the mermaid admitted. "It doesn't matter her reproductions weren't complete. That she could understand Doctor Light's designs to that point is amazing."

"Yeah, she's a brilliant engineer and programmer," the mechanic said and then chuckled. "If she decided to come work here she'd put me out of a job."

"I don't think so, Douglas, you're very good at fixing things," she offered with a smile.

"Thanks for the kind words," the mechanic said with a chuckle. "But the truth is we can't even analyze the Light capsules; they're very complex as well."

"That's true, the armors were stored in Light Capsules!" "Splash Woman remembered. "Where are they now?"

"We keep them in a storeroom down in the third level of the basement," Douglas provided. "It's the safest location in HQ, we can't afford to lose them, you know."

"Can I see them?"

"I'm afraid X, Signas or Alia have to give you clearance for that," the mechanic said with a shrug. "If you want to see the capsules, you'll have to ask one of them."

"Well, that can be done," the mermaid said with a confident smile. "I'm sure Alia will let me see them. Thank you, Douglas, I'll see you later."

And saying nothing more Splash Woman headed back to HQ's control room.

=0=

Zero parried the downward slash of a beam sword-carrying Guardroid and then countered with a vertical slash of his own, cutting his foe in half. This didn't mean victory, as four other Guardroids immediately attacked him; three of them were armed with laser guns and the last one with a large ice-hammer. The crimson hunter dodged the hammer, wielding one with a double jump and then bounced off the wall so he landed between two of the gun-wielding Guardroids, taking both of them down with a pair of quick diagonal cuts from his Z-Saber. He dashed under the shots of the last armed Guardroid and stabbed him in the chest, destroying it. Finally, Zero turned and destroyed the final hammer-wielding Guardroid with a charged shot from his Z-Buster.

"Seems that's the last of them," Zero said as he approached the electronic gates which led to the next room. To his surprise, he entered a large balcony that oversaw the forest around the Central, frowning as he saw how that part of the woods was already devastated by the Tunneler-D16 that was currently digging a massive hole. And just as the crimson hunter expected, the nuclear bomb was also down there.

"Zero, I was hoping you'd come," a seductive female voice greeted on his right. "I see you're still as handsome as usual… are you finally ready to link with me? You know I'm willing if you are."

"Frostbite Fox," Zero said, frowning at the sight of the sultry maverick. "What the hell are you doing? You used to be a Maverick Hunter; I didn't think you'd sink so low!"

"Oh, please," Fox laughed. "I am only doing this to punish Signas for what he did to me."

"What he did to you? You were selling Maverick Hunter information to criminal groups," Zero accused. "You're lucky he only sent you to prison!"

"After he arrested me and paraded me all over HQ, humiliating me in front of everyone!" she countered. "And you have no idea how awful it was to be jailed and how much I suffered after I escaped… can you blame me for wanting revenge?"

"What you're doing will kill millions!" Zero spat, his voice full of disgust. "That's not revenge, that's maverick behavior to me! I'm going to…"

"Stop the holier than thou speech and open your mind, you fool!" Fox interrupted. "Lumine is going to destroy all that is weak, the only way to survive is to show him you're strong enough to thrive in his new world! Join me, Zero, be my mate and Lumine may let you live!"

"No. I'll never let him do as he wishes, I'll stop his plans!" Zero declared firmly. "Now stand aside so I can shut down that Tunneler!"

"You know I can't let you do that," the female maverick said, visibly disappointed at the hunter's refusal. "Don't say I didn't give you a chance, Zero... I'm sorry, but you will die here!"

Not waiting for Zero's reply, Frostbite Fox dashed towards him and jumped over him when he tried to cut her with his saber. She spun in the air and kicked Zero in the back of his head hard enough to send him stumbling towards the edge of the balcony. He turned around immediately and was forced to bring up his Z saber to block an ice needle Fox had thrown at him.

"Not bad," he conceded. "I expected no less from a former A ranked hunter like you."

"Oh, you'll find I can do much better, love," she said and ran to him again, attacking with such speed Zero was forced onto the defensive as Fox kicked and dodged with impressive nimbleness.

The red hunter saw a chance and brought his Z-Saber down with a mighty downward thrust, sure that he finally had Fox but he only managed to stab the ground. The evasive maverick just rolled left to dodge the attack! Grinning, Frostbite Fox took advantage of Zero's mistake and placed her hand over his thigh. The hunter reacted immediately and landed a quick backhand punch on the maverick, dropping her on her side.

"Nice punch," she said, rubbing her bruised cheek. "But it's over, darling… my Ice Slither will freeze your systems in a matter of seconds, draining your power until you die, and no matter how strong you are, you won't escape it."

"I still can stop you…!" Zero growled, finding his legs were already covered in ice, and that it was going up and up. He would be completely frozen soon!

" _Zero, listen to me!_ " Layer said then, the tone in her voice revealing how alarmed she felt. " _Axl just uploaded the Fire Stinger to the database! Download it now, the weapon's data should help your systems counter the Ice Slither!_ "

Zero, frozen up to his neck, did as Layer indicated and downloaded Flame Scorpion's weapon. The crimson hunter analyzed the data and his learning system swiftly assimilated it, giving him the key to win the fight: a new technique called Honō no ha-zashi.

Frostbite Fox approached Zero once he was completely frozen. She ran a hand over the hunter's chest and then caressed his face. The fox maverick closed her eyes and, placing both hands on his shoulders for support, went on tiptoe so she could kiss him on the cheek.

"It's a shame you were so stubborn, love," she huskily whispered on his ear, knowing he could still hear her before his systems shut down completely. "But don't worry; I'll keep your frozen form as a memory of what could have been. I'll…"

A creaking sound interrupted her words. Confused, Frostbite Fox took one step back just to see Zero was about to break free!

She touched his torso and activated his Ice Slither again but it was useless, Zero literally ignited in front of her, his body surrounded by flames as he lifted his Z-Saber high, completely melting the ice restraining him.

"This cannot be!" Fox gasped, retrieving her hand to avoid his fire. "My Ice Slither is invincible!"

"No, it is not!" Zero, still enveloped in flames, declared. "And now it's time to end this… Honō no ha-zashi!"

Saying the name of his new special technique, Zero drove his Z-Saber forward, stabbing Fox directly in the chest and driving the heat of several thousand degrees into a power core that was not designed to resist such abuse.

"No! How could you…!" Fox screamed in pain as her body burst in flames, exploding with a fiery blast that completely obliterated her.

"What a waste of strength. If only you hadn't strayed from the right path, Fox…" Zero sighed as he crouched to pick up Frostbite Fox's weapon chip. He analyzed it and uploaded the Ice Slither into HQ's Special Weapon database, hoping one of the others would find it useful.

" _Well, X and Axl for sure, but not Vile,_ " he thought while he walked to the control panel on the other end of the balcony, finally noticing the drilling noise the Tunneler was making. Zero looked at the different controls until he figured out how to turn it all off. Almost immediately, the Tunneler-D16 destroying the forest stopped and deactivated.

"It's done," the red-armored hunter proclaimed, feeling tired. He took a deep breath and cursed as he noticed his Power Core was at only 23%. He knew the Ice Slither had forced his core to overheat in order to compensate for the cold, but he didn't think the power drain would be so severe. At least his systems were undamaged, but he would have to go back to HQ for a quick recharge.

Thinking about HQ reminded Zero of something, or rather, of someone who had been essential for his victory in this fight.

" _She has been there for me no matter what,_ " he thought, finally understanding how committed she actually was to him and how unfair he had been, not to mention how foolish it was taking her for granted. " _I can't make the same mistake again._ "

"Hey, Layer _,_ " Zero called, reaching up to activate his communicator. "You there?"

" _Affirmative, how are you feeling, Zero?_ " she asked. " _My readings indicate your core level is low._ "

"It is, isn't it? Anyway, Frostbite Fox is defeated. You can send the bomb squad, the area is clear."

" _Good, they'll be there soon._ "

Zero hesitated for a moment and then he spoke. "Layer?"

" _Yes, Zero?_ "

"You've helped me a lot lately," he started and then paused as he wondered if what he was considering doing was right or not. In the end he decided he it was right.

" _Zero, are you there?_ " the navigator called.

"Yes. I just want to thank you, Layer, for everything," and saying this, and knowing she could see him thanks to the satellite view, Zero smiled and offered her a thumbs up. "I'm going to HQ for a recharge, I'll see you in a minute."

=0=

And back in HQ…

"Did… did you guys see _that_?" Pallette asked, still too surprised to actually believe that Zero, who was always one hundred percent serious during hunts, had actually _smiled_ and offered Layer a gesture of appreciation. "I mean, did you _see_ what Commander Zero just did, did you?"

"Yes, we all did," Alia said, smiling softly as she looked at Layer, who was, unsurprisingly, blushing fiercely. "Who'd have thought he'd do that again? And he did it for you, Layer... I'm happy for you, my friend. I really am."

Scarlet looked up from her station and thought about saying something sarcastic, but in the end she didn't. She wasn't so heartless that she would ruin what was obviously a very important moment for another girl, so she simply observed the others in silence for a few moments before going back to monitoring Vile's progress.

"I…" Layer couldn't find the words, her electronic brain simply refused to properly process what she had just seen. Zero hadn't done that after completing a mission in years. The only person he ever did that gesture for was Iris. But now he had done it for her.

"Layer…" Pallette tried. "Are you even listening to us?"

Layer ignored her friends as she felt a tear sliding down her cheek and both thanked and cursed the fact reploids had the capacity to cry.

It seemed Zero was finally ready to accept her and let her to openly be a part of his life. And she was simply too happy to know what to do or say.

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading this chapter.

The three Hunters from the intro scene are actually the trio of hunters from X's ending in Mega Man X5. They don't have official names that I'm aware of so I simply named them based on their armor color.

The Eyezard is a miniboss from Mega Man X4, it appears in Frost Walrus' stage. The Ray Bit's are mechanical rabbits found in Chill Penguin's stage in the first game.

The Guardroid is a humanoid enemy from Mega Man X8.

"Honō no ha-zashi" means Flaming blade stab.


	32. Chapter 32

-32-

The massive maverick walked to the edge of the mechaniloid factory's roof and looked down at the many reploid police units surrounding the building. They weren't doing anything, obviously waiting for a Maverick Hunter to come. That made him chuckle. A Hunter wouldn't stop him, he was bigger and stronger than all of them. Grinning, he pushed the button of the detonator he carried in his massive hand, activating the rocket launchers he had strategically placed in the Factory so that they fired a barrage of missiles aimed at the police. The resulting attack completely destroyed each and every Reploid in the vicinity, leaving only a ruined perimeter around his building. That should have been all, but he then realized there was a police spybot above him, so he lifted his left fist and fired three bombs from his arm- mounted launcher, laughing as they exploded high up in the air, destroying the flying pest. Satisfied, he thumped his chest, confident nobody would dare challenging the destructive power of the Master of explosions… _Bomb Triceraton_!

=0=

Vile touched ground right outside the Mechaniloid factory and was greeted by the loud noise of the Tunneler inside it. He had to admit that as much of a sick bastard as Lumine was, placing a nuclear bomb in the middle of a large city was an effective way to strike terror in the population, which seemed to be one of his main goals. That New Generation psychopath had truly crafted a plan that would have made Sigma at his craziest extremely proud.

" _According to my readings the factory is full of Runnerbombers,_ " Scarlet said then. " _But their specs are low, you shouldn't have any trouble with those, Vile._ "

"Of course not, those idiots are trash! They're even weaker than Disk Boys," replied Vile.

" _There are several ride armors in the factory, I'll send you a list with their locations,_ " Scarlet continued. " _Unfortunately, it seems some Runnerbombers are piloting armors as well._ "

"Hah, that only makes this more interesting," he declared. "Pay attention, Scarlet. I'll show you how strong I am!"

Vile cut communication with his navigator and walked to the Factory gates, which he found were being guarded by wall-mounted bomb launchers, which responded to his movements and shot two bombs each in his direction. The purple-armored hunter waited for the explosives to hit the ground and then jumped over them, shooting a rocket from his own shoulder cannon at the nearest bomb launcher in order to both destroy it and to activate his antigravity chip, which allowed him to stay in the air for a couple of seconds longer while he used his guns, to allow for better aiming. This maneuver helped Vile avoid the explosion below him, and just as he landed, he shot a quick barrage of bullets from his finger gun to destroy the other bomb launcher.

"Hah! Triceraton is an idiot if he thought this could stop me!" the renegade hunter laughed. He glanced left and right to make sure there were no more surprises and then knelt to shoot a grenade from his knee launcher. The grenade hit the ground, rolled and struck the factory gates, destroying them with a loud blast.

And just as Scarlet had warned him, a group of Runnerbombers rushed in his direction, guns at the ready.

"This is going to be fun!" Vile said and prepared to stand his ground.

=0=

"You want me to give you a clearance code to access the armor room?" Alia asked, staring at Splash Woman as if she had grown a second head. Splash Woman had interrupted her while she was monitoring X during his mission in the Deep Sea Laboratory, and never imagined the Robot Master would make such an unusual request. "But why? I mean, all the Light Capsules are inactive. They always stop working after X obtains the armor piece contained inside them, even if I give you the code, you'll find nothing useful in there."

"You don't know that," the mermaid challenged, her arms crossed in defiance. "I am a Lightbot and you are not; the capsules may react to me just like they did with X."

Alia held back her answer as she considered Splash Woman's words. She had to admit the Robot Master had a point, she was indeed a Lightbot; the only other one around besides Mega Man X. There was no harm in letting her visit that room, and if the Light capsules did react to her, it may be the key they needed to learn more about X's armor system.

"Well?"

The blonde navigator nodded. "You're right, the capsules may identify you as a Lightbot and reactivate. I'll give you a code."

"Excellent," the Robot Master said and smiled, pleased that she would be able to see the last creations of her maker.

"Just insert this card in the corresponding slot above the door's lock," Alia explained as she handed the mermaid a shiny, small silver rectangle. "It contains the code you'll need."

"Thank you," Splash woman said. "I'll let you know if something happens."

"If I may…" Viktor Cossack, who had been listening to the conversation with discreet interest, said.

"Of course, Doctor," Alia said, politely smiling at him. "What do you need?"

"Would it be a problem if I went with Splash Woman?" He asked. "I've always wanted to at least look at the Light capsules, this is a rare chance that I wouldn't like to miss."

"Well, if she doesn't mind…" the navigator then looked at Splash Woman. "Is it alright with you?"

"Yes, it's alright," Splash Woman nodded. "I think having an expert roboticist like Doctor Cossack with me is for the best in case the capsules react in any way."

=0=

Vile crouched to avoid a punch from a Ride Armor and then dashed so he was behind it. He took aim and shot a rocket from his shoulder cannon, hitting the Runnerbomber piloting the armor in the back. The resulting explosion not only destroyed the annoying humanoid reploid, but it unfortunately damaged the armor's controls, if the smoke coming out of the cabin was any indication.

"Bah, I guess I'll have to find another," Vile grumbled as he opened the door the Runnerbomber had been protecting. He entered a large area, which turned out to be the main assembly line, and from what he could see, it was well protected by enemy mechaniloids which appeared to follow a set pattern. The main inconveniences here as far as the hunter was concerned were that the robot arms in charge of assembling machinery were all active. Said arms were very well-armored and powerful, and Vile was certain they would try to attack him when he approached them.

He remembered the list Scarlet sent him and pulled it from his databanks to confirm that there should be three Ride Armors in this location. Further inspection revealed it was truth and Vile chuckled in pleasant anticipation. To his right, behind a few crates, was a Ride Armor ready for him to take, and the path to it was clear off enemy mechaniloids.

"Leaving even one ride armor unguarded is stupid," Vile murmured. "But it's good for me so, sucks to be them."

Vile slid behind the crates, jumped into the armor and comfortably sat behind the controls. He relaxed once he started its engine, feeling the uplifting sensation that always invaded him when he was piloting a Ride Armor. He simply loved the things! They were so practical, so convenient and most of all, so unstoppable! The renegade Hunter activated the armor's massive fists and punched the metal crates away, proceeding then to crush everything that tried to stop him. And while he did this, his mind distractedly went back to what happened a few hours before, when Signas showed up in his base of operations.

He and Scarlet had been evaluating job offers, thinking that maybe going after a gang of reploid thugs that were targeting a construction company's transports should be the first one they accepted when Signas entered their home. Vile had been actually surprised by this, and was more so when Signas simply sat in a chair and asked for a few minutes of their time. Scarlet had been startled but she quickly recovered, trying to calm Vile down enough so that he considered listening to her former commander.

Except that Vile didn't want to listen. It was one thing to have Zero invade his home, but this Signas? He was not going to have any of it. Or that is what he thought, because just as Vile was about to kick him out of his base, Signas simply lifted his hand and activated a Special Weapon he called the 'Dark Hold'. A very useful weapon that stops time around the user, for as long as the weapon energy lasts, Signas had so helpfully explained. Oh, and of course the pompous Maverick Hunter Commander had explained that he had enough weapon energy to keep the damn thing going for almost twenty minutes.

Vile recalled the fury he felt at being paralyzed recede when he actually listened to what Signas had to say. Lumine stealing nuclear bombs and threatening civilization with global earthquakes and nuclear holocaust, Nightmare Drives for sale… not a pretty picture at all. Vile, however, considered that he could profit from all that chaos, until Signas said a few things which made him reconsider. The first one was the offer of a full pardon for all his recorded criminal activities. The second was a substantial amount of money, which Signas promised he'd ask the High Command for and finally, he mentioned that it would be a shame if Lumine's plan ended up destroying whatever it was that Vile wanted to protect. And those words helped Vile discover that he did want to protect Scarlet, kind of. She was resourceful, strong and most importantly, she was the only person he tolerated enough to actually like somewhat. Because she got him, and finding someone who understood what made him tick and appreciated him for it was something he always thought he could never have.

And so he had agreed to help Signas and so far he was not regretting it! He now had the chance to piss off Zero and X as much as he wanted, with the added bonus the two idiots couldn't do anything to him and besides, he'd get enough money to really start his operation. Not to mention having the opportunity of wrecking the rust out of a maverick-controlled area had always been Vile's idea of 'super fun' times.

" _Yeah, not a bad deal, all things considered,_ " he thought returning to attention as his Ride Armor punched down the gates separating him from the factory's testing grounds, where he knew the Tunneler was located.

=0=

The testing grounds consisted of a very large area, littered with damaged prototype vehicles and other pieces of machinery. The Tunneler was right in the middle, half of it already beneath the ground. The nuclear bomb was there as well, on the far side of the testing grounds. To Vile's left was the control panel that directed the Tunneler-D16 and before him stood a tall reploid, taller than even Flame Mammoth had been: Bomb Triceraton.

"Well, if it isn't Vile," Triceraton observed with evident disdain. "I was hoping to meet X or Zero… even Axl, but _you_? You're not a challenge, not even with that Ride Armor. This is insulting!"

"If that's what you think then you're sadly mistaken, Tricera- _fool_ ," Vile laughed. "I'm here to turn you into scarp!"

"That so? Let's see how true that is!" the dinosaur reploid taunted and unleashed three bombs from his left arm, aiming to destroy both Vile and his ride armor.

Only that he didn't hit the renegade hunter, Vile had expertly dodged the attack and closed the distance separating him from Bomb Triceraton in mere seconds.

"True enough for you?" Vile announced, pushing the right lever of the ride armor's controls, making it deliver a powerful punch that connected with the tall maverick's face, dropping him on his back with a loud metallic clank.

Bomb Triceraton hated being hit and the fact Vile had managed to do so had him seeing red. Getting up quickly, he roared in fury and charged towards the armor at full speed, capturing it in a deadly hug and smashing it against a wall, where he started tearing the machinery apart with his incredible strength.

"You're finished!" the maverick yelled, detonating three bombs at point blank, destroying what was left of the ride armor with a single mighty blast.

"I see you are not all talk," Vile, who had jumped high right before his armor exploded, taunted as he landed on atop Triceraton's broad shoulders. "Good, that will make things interesting!"

"Get off me!" the triceratops based reploid screamed, thrashing around to get rid of the renegade hunter.

"As soon as I do this," Vile said, while holding tight on one of Triceraton's horns with one hand. After steadying himself, he stabbed the maverick's eye with his middle and index fingers to shoot six bullets from his finger-gun straight into Triceraton's skull, hoping to hit the maverick's brain for a quick kill.

The result was not exactly what Vile was hoping for. Enraged beyond his limits, Triceraton shot his hands up and managed to grab the renegade hunter by the leg before he could jump away. The maverick then threw him against a prototype truck with such force Vile went through it like a cannonball, ending buried under the collapsed vehicle.

"Ok… that didn't work the way I wanted," he muttered, feeling his back aching like a beast. Vile ran a quick diagnostic and sighed in relief when he saw none of his inner systems were damaged. His armor _was_ dented in places and cracked in others, which explained the agony he felt and worse, his Power Core had decreased to 59% after the impact, but his weapons worked well so he could still fight, and his self-repair systems were already numbing the pain he was experiencing. Angered by the damage he'd received, Vile decided it was time to destroy Triceraton in the most painful manner possible.

" _Vile, your energy levels just decreased, are you alright?_ " Scarlet asked, concern evident in her voice.

"This is nothing, I am fine," he answered as he pushed the twisted metal out of the way so he could get back up. "Have the other idiots uploaded any Special Weapons to the database?"

"Yes, _X and Axl… wait, Zero just uploaded one more!_ "

"Which ones?" Vile asked, surprised the stupid trio had been useful for a change.

Scarlet hurried and listed the new weapons and then said, " _Triceraton's armor is highly resistant to heat, so don't use the Fire Stinger. He is very vulnerable to cold because it slows_ _his Power Core's output, and that in turn limits his movements. Freezing him is your best option!_ "

"Thanks for the info, that gives me an idea on how to take him out," the purple-armored reploid replied as he stepped out of the wreckage. Triceraton was standing there waiting for him, right hand covering his mauled eye.

" _Good. Retire that big bucket of rusty bolts like only you can!_ " Scarlet encouraged and ended the call.

"I'm going to make you hurt!" the maverick swore. "I'll crush your body and then I will blast whatever is left into tiny little pieces!"

"Shut up, you fourth-rate piece of junk!" the renegade hunter shouted in order to distract Triceraton while he downloaded the Tsunami Wave and the Ice Slither. "I don't have to listen to an ex-demolition worker like you, who got fired because he was too stupid to do his job. All you were ever good for was causing accidents!"

"Curse you!" the dinosaur reploid growled, he hated being reminded of his shameful dismissal from Cain Labs. It had not been his fault the bridge collapsed before intended. It had not! Furious, Triceraton shot his Triple Bomb at the hunter, but with his optics damaged his aim was off and the bombs ended up exploding several meters away from Vile.

The hunter took advantage of this to use his Combiner System on the two Special Weapons he had downloaded. Vile, unlike X or Zero who could copy Special Weapons or learn techniques based on them, possessed a different tool to use the abilities of defeated mavericks. His Combiner System, which had been developed for him by Doctor Cain himself, allowed him to combine two or more Special Weapons to grant a multitude of effects for the ammo used by the many weapons hidden in his body. And so, by merging the data of the water and ice type weapons, Vile obtained the Ice Spear Missile.

This happened in less than three seconds, so when Vile finished combining the Special Weapons Triceraton was only just only marching towards him, his bomb launcher aimed and at the ready. It was obvious the maverick wanted to shoot him from as close a range as possible to maximize the chances of hitting him. A shame that wouldn't work.

"Eat this!" Vile exclaimed, firing a blue sharp missile at his enemy. It hit him in the arm, freezing his bomb launcher and preventing Triceraton from shooting his triple bomb attack.

"This is nothing!" The dinosaur reploid shouted and smashed his left fist on the ground to shatter the ice. Unfortunately for him, when his arm froze the explosives already in the bomb launcher had only delayed their detonations, and when Triceraton punched the rock beneath his feet all he managed to do was to trigger the explosives, the three of them blowing up loudly, enveloping him in smoke and fire.

When the smoke cleared Vile was greeted with the image of Bomb Triceraton on his knees and howling in pain, grabbing at his mauled arm and trying to stop the power fluid gushing from the wound. His attempts were useless; the leak wouldn't stop, which meant his emergency and self-repair systems had been severely damaged by the blast.

"I will not die alone!" Triceraton swore, glaring at the renegade hunter with his good eye as he charged him in a mad rush, the three horns crowning his head aimed at his enemy's chest, hoping for a kill by impalement. "I am going to take you with me, you Maverick Hunter scum!"

Vile watched and waited until the very last moment to dive left, dodging the deadly charge. Not wasting any time, Vile rolled back to his feet and, taking advantage of Triceraton's reduced reaction time, managed to shoot another Ice Spear Missile at him, hitting him in the gaping hole where his arm used to be. The effect proved to be catastrophic; the Ice-based attack froze Triceraton's core with deadly results. His Power Core immediately started overcompensating to counteract the sudden change in temperature until it overheated, frying all of the maverick's inner workings and wiring, short-circuiting his electronic brain and frying the rest of his systems, effectively killing him and leaving nothing but a shell full of molten circuits and wires behind.

"Hey, Scarlet," Vile called. "I just retired Dumb Tricera-fool. You can send a bomb squad now."

" _Consider it done,_ " she replied. " _What are you going to do?_ "

"I'll return to HQ for some quick maintenance before I go squash the second maverick Signas assigned me." Vile went on as he reached with his fingers into the dead maverick's eye socket, looking for something which he found quickly enough: Triceraton's weapon chip.

" _Very well, I'll see you here,_ " Scarlet said. " _Congratulations on a hunt well done, Vile._ "

"Were you expecting anything else, Scarlet? Anyway, I'm uploading this useless fat reptile's weapon data to the database," the renegade hunter declared and cut off communications while he walked to the control panel. He stood before it and considered for a moment using it to send the Tunneler to his base, but it wasn't worth it. He didn't have the means to give the vehicle the necessary maintenance and it would be too expensive anyway. Deciding this, Vile simply pointed his cannon at the control panel and shot at it, destroying it with a satisfying boom!

Seeing how the Tunneler creaked to a sudden stop, Vile laughed and teleported out of the factory.

=0=

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading.

This chapter was fun to write, but mainly because Vile is also a fun character to work with.


	33. Chapter 33

-33-

The thing dropped the dried, corroded husk of an unfortunate reploid it had finished consuming and slowly slithered around the room until it reached the window, peering down at the tower it controlled. The wall-mounted weapons and flying mechaniloids patrolling the area were functioning well, and the Tunneler down there was already working, destroying the jungle around it as it dug. The mechanical creature moved to the window on the other side and looked down again. There, far down, was the nuke Lumine had tasked him with protecting and then placing deep underground. The shiny green, spiky and vine-covered thing felt something approaching remorse as it imagined everything destroyed once its 'master' detonated the bombs, but it reasoned that nature, vegetation mainly, could survive and recover from the upcoming the nuclear apocalypse. And that was good. Plants were the greatest survivors on the planet. Plants would eventually rule all. And when that time came he believed it would be his turn to be king. Lumine would fall eventually, and when he did, it would be his successor. It, the Emperor of Green… _Acidflow Venus Trap_!

=0=

" _What do you mean you're not coming to HQ for maintenance?_ " Alia asked. " _Zero, Axl and even Vile just arrived for a recharge and minor repairs, you should too!_ "

"I'm fine, Alia. My armor isn't damaged and my Power Core is at 94% right now. I could get a Power Capsule from any mechaniloid if I need a quick recharge and I have half a subtank, too," X said while gently pushing away the thick vegetation around him as he made his way through the jungle surrounding the abandoned Kanzuki Weather Tower. "No need to go to HQ, we have a time limit before Lumine activates the nukes and I assure you he's not happy we've stopped three of his generals already."

" _I know you're right, but this one you're going after…_ " Alia sighed. " _He's one of Kanzuki Corp's most powerful reploids. His stats are particularly high, and according to our records he is as strong as the Colonel was._ "

"I'll be careful," Mega Man X promised, brushing aside a low tree branch while he recalling his one fight with the Colonel and how Zero was later forced to destroy him and his sister during the Repliforce coup. "Don't worry, it'll be alright."

" _Fine, but come back if you have to, don't push yourself needlessly._ "

"I won't, Alia," he assured. "X, out."

Once communication was cut X continued on, carefully moving through the treacherous terrain. He wasn't fond of areas controlled by plant-based mavericks, as they were usually trickier to traverse and more unpredictable than those chosen by element-based ones. A buzzing sound to his left alerted the blue hunter of an incoming attack and he ducked in time to avoid being stung by a mechanical mosquito the size of his head. The robotic insect flew high and turned to attack again, but was quickly dispatched by one of X's shots. A few steps ahead, he found the road blocked by a web of vines that he couldn't destroy with his X-buster alone, so he switched to the Fire Stinger and burned them, both clearing the path and revealing a rundown cabin.

"I may find something useful in there," X murmured as he entered the small house, finding it was something like a control station, but the place was too deteriorated and invaded by vegetation to tell for sure. He found a computer that still worked and managed to turn it on. The screen blinked a few times until it showed an image detailing the layout of the weather tower, as well as a log of the events that led to its abandonment.

[ _The mechplants in the area have grown out of control. They reacted too strongly and aggressively to the electromagnetic pulse we used to try to subdue them. The organic and mechanical nature of the organism is indeed as unpredictable as we have always known, and the mechplants countered our efforts by invading the Weather Tower and turning its systems against us. It is a complete loss. Kanzuki Corp. has decided to abandon it, we are to leave tomorrow with the extraction team._ ]

X turned the computer off and walked out of the control station. It didn't surprise him that something like that had happened. Mechplants were to be respected. The cybernetic plants, developed around a century and half before by scientists from the ( _Mega Man X chuckled at the odd coincidence_ ) now long dead X Foundation, were not to be underestimated. Mechplants were the result of a final attempt to save plant life from extinction as they could not survive the high pollution levels after the 'Great Toxic Event' from two hundred years in the past. Saving the flora was essential to preserve the rest of the world's ecosystems, and the Foundation's efforts were successful, perhaps too much, as mechplants prospered and quickly assimilated all types of vegetation until every form of plant in the world had some cybernetic element to it. Interestingly enough, nobody had ever managed to understand how or why that happened, it was simply accepted that it worked well. Surprisingly enough, mechplants were still edible but sometimes, if they felt threatened beyond being harvested or becoming food as was the natural order of things, the cyborg plants were known to developed nigh indestructible metal parts and functional defensive mechanisms that made them dangerous… no, more than dangerous, it made them _lethal_.

From what X could gather, the defunct Kanzuki Corporation had tried to do something with the mechplants here that the vegetation strongly disliked and thus reacted accordingly. That Kanzuki Corp. was no longer active wasn't a big loss as far as the blue hunter was concerned, since the company had created Berkana, the 'sorceress' reploid who orchestrated the Erasure incident that killed hundreds of reploids all over the world. The poor publicity from that disaster had driven Kanzuki Corp. out of business, forcing them to sell their assets to both Cain Labs and Cossack Laboratories to pay their debts.

"Berkana…" X muttered, dread filling him as he recalled the beautiful and cruel blonde reploid and how difficult the battle against her had been. He remembered reading that the company had based her appearance on that of one of the company's presidents from the past, a Karin something.

"Not that it matters now," X decided and, focusing on the mission again, he returned to the jungle.

=0=

"Well, here we are," Viktor said, waiting for Splash Woman to use the card that would grant them access to the armor room located in the deepest basement of the Maverick Hunter Headquarters.

"Yes, here we are…" the Robot Master sighed. "I'm a little afraid, Doctor Cossack. It is odd but… ever since I woke up, I have been experiencing emotions in a more… defined way than before. That didn't happen much during the time of my first activation, and when it happened, it was always because of…"

"Of what?" the scientist asked, deeply interested in this development, as it could probably mean that a Robot Master's programming was capable of evolving on its own, something he had only suspected but never had sufficient evidence to confirm before.

"Of someone," she answered. "But he's no longer here… I… I guess we should enter, the capsules may be able to provide me with the answer I need right now, or with other information that may be useful for X."

Saying nothing more, Splash Woman inserted the silver card in the reader above the lock. The light on the lock went from red to green and with a soft ' _beep_ ' the door opened for them. She retrieved her card and walked inside, followed by Viktor Cossack. The lights went on after they went in, and the door closed behind them. What they saw then were rows of Light capsules, organized by sets of four for the most part. The first set was under a banner that read ' _First Armor_ ' the next 'Second' and so forth.

"This is wrong," Splash Woman frowned. "I saw Doctor Light designing the first three. The first is called Light armor, the second is the Giga Armor and the third one is the Hyper Armor and…"

Her words were interrupted as several Light Capsules became active all at once, startling her into silence. Holograms of Doctor Light appeared in all the active ones, all of them staring at the Robot Master.

" _Eve-Y,_ " they said in unison. " _If you have come then that means Mega Man X is already fighting as the world's new champion, but the threat is so potent he needs your help._ "

"W-what?" Splash Woman took a step back, afraid of what the holograms were saying. "I'm… I'm not Eve-Y!"

" _Unfortunately, the armor system was designed only for X,_ " the holograms continued, ignoring the words of the Robot Master. " _However, the capsules X has activated can grant your systems some upgrades that will allow you to assist Mega Man X…_ "

"I'm not her!" the mermaid shouted, feeling frantic as the holograms kept reminding her of her biggest failure. "I'm Splash Woman! I'm not Eve-Y! She's dead! I… I couldn't protect her!"

The holograms went silent for an instant, but then resumed talking, their voices echoing coldly in the armory room. " _The Capsule identifies you as Eve-Y. Otherwise it wouldn't have activated. You may have memory damage, if you wish to have your systems checked and programming restored, please step into the Capsule._ "

Splash Woman looked back at Viktor, a pained and confused expression crossing her face. "I'm not Eve-Y… why are the capsules doing this?"

"I didn't tell you before, but…" Viktor took in a deep breath. "I noticed the capsule we found you in was forced to use Eve-Y's parts to repair you. You suffered severe damage before someone sealed you in that Light Capsule, so severe in fact, your self-repair system couldn't handle it. This means some of Eve-Y's parts are now inside you. That may be why the Capsules here detect you as her, and why your ability to experience emotions has improved."

"But… but that's impossible," she muttered.

"It is not. Eve-Y's capsule unequivocally repaired you over a period of sixty years," the scientist declared. "Your Power core, optics, sonar and electronic brain were damaged, the capsule used Eve-Y's parts as spares to fix you. I know, I saw mention of it in the capsule's memory files."

"I can't believe that…" the mermaid refuted. "If I… if I have parts of Eve-Y in me… then why do I still know I'm me, why haven't I lost my sense of self?"

" _Because your programming was not overwritten in any way,_ " Doctor Light's voice interrupted.

Splash Woman and Viktor looked around, finally noticing all capsules save one were inactive now. The active capsule was near the back of the room, and the hologram was looking at them with a soft smile.

" _Come closer, my child, let me see you,_ " Doctor Light's hologram invited. " _It's been a long time since I saw one of my creations other than Mega Man X. Come, Splash Woman, don't be afraid. I'll explain all I can._ "

=0=

The Weather Tower was imposing; several hundred meters tall, most of it covered by cybernetic vines that circled the structure, blocking all possible entrances that he could see, and they were so thick he doubted the Fire Stinger could burn them. There were ledges on the wall, of course, but laser or plasma cannons were in each one and, as X saw, they were active and on surveillance mode. He would have to destroy them one by one as he climbed, and to also deal with flying insect mechaniloids as well as the mechplant's possible defenses. The ascent promised to be a difficult one.

"I'll need something to climb faster," said X in a low, thoughtful voice. "And I think I have just what I need for the task… Alia?"

" _Alia here,_ " the navigator replied at once. " _How can I help you, X?_ "

"There's no way to enter the Weather Tower near the base, is there?" he questioned.

" _Hm… no, I'm afraid not,_ " the blonde navigator provided. " _Satellite view shows there are two open windows at the very top, but you will have to climb all the way there._ "

"Yeah, just what I expected," X told her. "I wanted you to double check in case you could detect something. Well, if there's no other option… please send me the Glide Armor, Alia."

" _The Glide Armor, sure,_ " Alia agreed, " _I'm sending it now._ "

"Thank you," the hunter said as the Glide Armor, shining in white, yellow and red, materialized and assembled over him; helmet first, then the arms, legs and finally the chest piece. X smiled, pleased as the armor still enhanced his capabilities as well as he remembered. The Glide Armor was not as powerful as others he had worn in the past, but it was well rounded and it gave him the ability to glide and hover in the air, something which would help him greatly during this part of the mission.

" _I'll look at the tower while you climb it; there may be an entrance at some point that we're not seeing,_ " she offered. " _I'll let you know if I find something._ "

"That would be great," he nodded. "Hey, Alia, how's Splash Woman?"

" _She's in your armor room,_ " Alia said after an instant of silence. " _She wanted to see the Light Capsules… was I wrong to give her a clearance code?_ "

"No, of course not," X told her as he checked the armor's status, finding it operating at optimal levels. "I'm glad, actually, she may find a way to reactivate the Capsules so we can duplicate the armors. I wouldn't mind having the Third Armor again, you know? The Chip system was great."

" _Well, I'll let you know if she discovers something._ "

"Thank you, Alia," the hunter said. "X out."

=0=

Climbing the tower had been tricky for X. The wind wasn't helping and the vines sometimes tried to grab him but fortunately, he had discovered the Ice Slither could dissuade them. Sure, many vines could resist fire, but none of them liked cold. As for the canons on the ledges he had seen, the homing shot the Glide Armor offered had helped him dispatch them quickly. All in all, the only problems X was having were the long jumps, but as long as he took his time to calculate distances properly, going up wasn't really that complicated.

" _X, there's something above you, to the left,_ " Alia announced then. " _It seems there's a room up there. It doesn't connect with the inside of the tower and it may be difficult to reach, but I'm picking up a signal there that we can't analyze._ "

"That means it could be a Light Capsule!" X smiled. "Great! Thank you, Alia!"

" _You're welcome, good luck._ "

X looked up and, just as Alia told him, there was an almost completely hidden from sight ledge, and the vines on that section were thick and thorny. In all honesty, he really should wait and return here when he had a weapon with a cutting effect, but perhaps…

"Ice and Fire may do the trick," X thought. Convinced of giving this idea a try, he dashed, jumped as high as he could and then activated the Glide Armor's hover ability to reach and grab the very edge of the ledge. Grunting, he pulled himself up and observed the foliage. There was definitively something behind it. He selected the Fire Stinger and blasted fire at the vines until they shined red hot. They were not burning as X expected, however, so he quickly switched to the Ice Slither and shot it at them, freezing the super-heated vines. And then… they cracked and crumbled!

"Alright!" X celebrated as he entered the room, to find…

=0=

A Light Capsule! X stared at it and frowned in confusion. This one wasn't blue as usual, but grey and red with yellow lights blinking all over it. The only other time he had found some in different colors that he could recall was during the Third Maverick Uprising. Intrigued, X approached the capsule, which activated as soon as he was next to it.

" _Greetings, X,_ " Doctor Light's hologram said. " _I am aware of the situation you are in, and what this villain Lumine is threatening to do. The Earth is in grave danger, but I'm sure you and your friends will protect and save everyone one more time._ "

The hologram made a pause and appeared to sigh.

" _I truly hope this is the last time war puts the world at risk, X,_ " the holographic Doctor Light said with a remorse filled voice. " _Because this is the last upgrade capsule. I made no more._ "

X's power core fluctuated a microsecond when he heard that information. No more capsules? That was terrible! What if they managed to defeat Lumine this time and he returned later? Without the capsules to give him an edge, victory would only become harder to obtain!

" _This capsule contains the Apollo Chip,_ " the hologram announced. " _The Apollo Chip allows you to tap into your full power at will and it is compatible with all your armors, or used even if you aren't wearing any. In order to install it, however, you must remove the armor you are wearing now._ "

The hologram made a second pause while X sent away the Glide Armor. Once that was done, it continued.

" _This chip will permanently upgrade all your systems at once. But the power it unleashes may be too much for you to bear, so I recommend you use it only if there is no other choice._ "

The hologram then proceeded to explain the upgrades the Chip granted.

" _The Apollo Chip will allow your buster to charge Special Weapons and to store four charged X buster shots as well as to charge any Special Weapon you have equipped at the time. You can also merge the four stored charged shots to create the powerful Solar Shot._

" _The chip will also improve your mobility, granting you access to the Solar Dash. To perform this move, simply dash when you have a Solar shot ready and the energy will surround you as you move instead of being fired. This will provide you with a good defensive and offensive move._

" _The chest part upgrade grants you access to a new Giga Attack: the Solar Flare. It will be accessible after your armor has absorbed enough physical damage which will be released in the form of a powerful explosion around you._

" _And finally, the helmet upgrade will increase the amount of energy you get from Power Capsules and Weapon Capsules,_ " Once he finished describing the functions of the Apollo Chip to X, the hologram placed his hands in his pockets and looked straight at him. " _Enter this capsule if you wish, my son, and take my final gift to you._ "

Mega Man X stood there for almost a full nine seconds while his electronic brain pondered on the implications of all he had just heard. No more Light Capsules, and the last one was a chip that would permanently upgrade him, granting a power that from what he understood completed his solar powered Core in ways that he couldn't even begin to imagine. For a moment X considered not taking the chip, thinking that he could defeat Lumine with the armors he already owned but remembering the fight with Dynamo changed his mind.

"Lumine will no doubt use a Nightmare Drive in battle…" he whispered. "If it powered Dynamo that much… I don't even want to think what it'll do for Lumine. I… I'll need all the help I can get."

And so X entered the capsule.

The upgrade process was slightly different than usual. While light bathed him as it normally did when he installed the armor pieces. This time he could see his core programming was also being updated to make it able to use the new circuit, and then he felt the Apollo Chip materialize inside of him, filling one small gap above his Power Core that he could never find a use for.

The process ended and X looked down at his body. His torso, upper arms and thighs had turned white, while his helmet, boots, chest and busters changed to a lighter shade of blue with gold and orange linings, and his helmet crystal shined now with a fiery orange glow. The changes were more than merely cosmetic, however, his strength and power output had increased far beyond what he was used to. The only time he had felt this strong before was when he first donned the Ultimate Armor.

"This is… incredible," X said, looking back at the now inactive capsule. "I promise I'll be responsible with your last gift, father… this much power… it will only be used as a last resort."

X reached up to his chest and took in a deep breath as he deactivated the Apollo Chip. His armor colors returned to his standard blue and his power output lowered to the usual levels he was accustomed to. This done, he summoned the Glide Armor again and left the room.

"Alia, I'll need you to send a recovery team along with the bomb squad so they can take the Light Capsule back to HQ," he called once he was out on the ledge again.

" _I will, don't worry,_ " she replied almost immediately. " _What did you find, a new armor part?_ "

"No. A special chip," said X, touching his chest again. "I'll show you later, Alia, this is something you need to see."

" _Ok, I'm looking forward to that._ "

=0=

X jumped to the last ledge and waited, buster at the ready, before entering the room at the very top of the tower. The hunter looked left and right, waiting for a hidden mechaniloid to appear, but there was nothing. He looked down and saw the Tunneler had already excavated a sizable hole, which meant he had to hurry. Refocusing as the wind howled past him, X took in a deep breath and started charging a buster shot and, once it was at full power, he finally walked through the window, ready for anything waiting for him.

What he found was the Tower's main observatory, but it was covered in green. The mechplants had really taken it over, which confirmed the mention of them turning the tower's systems against the Kanzuki staff which he had read earlier. There was something else that caught his eye, though. In one corner he saw the now-familiar control panel used to direct the Tunnelers. Scanning the room and finding nothing, X cautiously walked towards it, but…

A bubble full of acid burst behind him, splashing his shoulders and back!

The acid was powerful enough to start corroding the Glide Armor, forcing X to send the chest piece back to HQ so they could stop the damage. The hunter looked left and saw a tangle of vines which came to life and split from the wall, reforming into a horrendous green thing barely resembling a human being. Instead of arms, it had two long vines which ended in fang-filled jaws that clicked anxiously as they opened and closed. The head of the maverick was a leaf-covered ball were two orange eyes shined with infinite malevolence.

"My, my, if it isn't X," Acidflow Venus Trap sang as it assessed the hunter in front of him. "I won't lie, I have dreamed of consuming you more than once!"

X gritted his teeth at the threat and raised his buster, pointing it at the maverick. "We can do this two ways, Acidflow, you either let me arrest you or I retire you here, your choice!"

"Arrest me… _you_?" the plant based reploid laughed derisively. "X, to me you are nothing but prey, a bug to capture and devour!"

Before X could react, Acidflow shot two streams of acid from the jaws at the end of his vines. The blue hunter barely dashed left and tried to jump to gain more room to maneuver, but one of the vines hanging from the ceiling wrapped itself around X's neck, stopping him and pulling him up where other vines descended to capture him in an inescapable hold.

"Hah! This is the best the famed hunter who defeated Sigma eight times can do?" AcidFlow Venus Trap mocked. "You are pathetic, X… prepare to be eaten!"

X, thinking that this was why he loathed fighting plant-based mavericks, switched to the Fire Stinger and charged it, unleashing a flame barrier around him so hot it incinerated the vines restraining him as soon as it ignited. Checking his systems once he dropped back to the floor, X frowned as he saw his Power Core was now at 83%. He definitively couldn't take this lightly.

"Don't think that will help you," the maverick said. "Besides, you will taste better if you fight."

"Shut up!" X growled, tired of Acidflow's threats. He shot at the Maverick with the Fire Stinger, hitting it and engulfing it in fire.

But Acidflow Venus Trap only laughed. The flames died and the room started filling with a cloud of noxious green vapor.

"Try your fire all you want, fool," the maverick offered. "I can use my acid to counter it and all you'll do is create another acid cloud. Can your systems tolerate it long enough to stop me?"

"I have other means to fight you!" X retorted, switching to the Ice Slither and shooting a barrage of ice needles at the monster.

But Acidflow laughed again. While the Ice Slither appeared to initially freeze him, and X did detect the maverick received some damage, it was nothing but a pyrrhic victory. Acidflow Venus Trap simply released more acid from its body, melting the ice with ease.

"Ice? That won't help you either, you can't generate cold enough to hurt me!" the plant-based reploid boasted and shot vines forth so quickly it managed to capture X, one of the jaws closing around the hunter's boot and the other on his left buster with a deadly bite. The maverick laughed and released an acid bubble straight on the hunter's armor parts!

Sensing X's struggle, Acidflow yanked him up and slammed him against the ceiling and then hard on the ground before finally tossing him to the wall. X's right boot and left arm's armor pieces were now heavily damaged, and it was obvious those parts of the Glide Armor were now useless. Ready to press its advantage, the Maverick shot vines forward again, aiming for the hunter's face and neck, and…

X rolled to the side, avoiding the vicious, acid-dripping mandibles. He managed to get back on his feet and immediately sent the rest of the Glide Armor back to HQ, hoping Douglas could repair it. Now that he knew no new armors would ever be available, X had realized he had to be far more careful with the ones he still had.

"Damn it!" he cursed, ignoring the warning that indicated his Power Core was at 41% and instead focusing on the fact his standard blue armor wasn't damaged, as it was the only positive he could see in this situation.

"Getting desperate, X?" Acidflow laughed. "You were a joke with your mighty armor, without it I'm sure I'll be feasting on your core in a matter of seconds!"

" _X, you have to escape now!_ " Alia pleaded. " _Acidflow Venus Trap is weak to magnetic fields and we don't have a Special Weapon with that effect yet. You can't defeat him like this, you…_ "

"I can and I will," he interrupted as he unleashed a barrage of solar energy bullets at the maverick to keep him on the defensive while he thought. "Don't you believe in me, Alia?"

" _I do, but…_ "

"Then let me do this," Mega Man X told her. "You can give me an earful afterwards but now just let me fight!"

"… _Fine,_ " she yielded. " _Retire him and then come back to base, I want you here for maintenance, understood?_ "

"Understood," X answered as he dodged a series of acid bubbles that burst where he had stood only seconds before. His luck didn't last long, however, as a new set of vines suddenly slammed down on him from behind, hitting him so hard he was thrown all the way to Acidflow's feet.

"And now, X, you will die," Acidflow Venus Trap sentenced while the Maverick stomped on Mega Man X's head, driving him into the ground. "I'll shower you with acid and then I'll finally eat you!"

X tried to get up but all he managed to do was to get Acidflow's boot pressing on the back of his head again. The Maverick was not going to let him up, and his Power Core was at a critical 17% now. He had to do something, and do it fast! Thinking quickly, X recalled that the Ice Slither had managed to hurt Acidflow Venus Trap a little, but not enough to be really effective.

" _A charged Ice Slither shot!_ " X thought, only to realize that without the Glide Armor buster upgrade he had no way to charge Special Weapons.

No.

He did have another way to charge Special Weapons.

"So you've finally given up?" The plant-based maverick asked, disappointed. "I expected you to struggle more, but I guess an ancient machine like you comes with many limitations."

X growled and activated the Apollo Chip.

"Huh?" Acidflow frowned the moment X's colors switched to white and light blue. He thought it was nothing but another Special Weapon, but then something happened; something which should never have happened! X became strong enough to actually shove him off like a dry leaf!

"What is this?" the maverick asked, feeling a creeping fear growing in its core. X was already defeated, this should not be possible!

"You really shouldn't have pushed me this far, Acidflow Venus Trap!" X said, power glowing around him indicating the charged shot was ready. "Face the Ice Slither at full power!"

With a scream of rage, X punched the ground unleashing a powerful wave of cold that spread ice in waves around him, freezing all the mechplants in the room in mere microseconds. When X straightened, he noticed the cybernetic foliage was starting to crack and crumble into chunks of ice and in front of him stood Acidflow Venus Trap, also frozen to the core.

X waited in case the maverick could escape the ice it was encased in, but Acidflow's body started cracking noisily from head to toe until it fractured and collapsed in a million little pieces.

"This guy was really tough…" X whispered while he kneeled and picked up Acidflow Venus Trap's Weapon chip, which he promptly analyzed, uploading the data to HQ's database. The blue hunter took in a deep breath, deactivated the Apollo Chip, and finally walked to the control panel.

"Alia, I won," X announced while he deactivated the Tunneler. "Send the bomb squad and the recovery team I requested to the area. And Alia, I'll see you in a minute."

" _I'll be waiting for you,_ " she said with a relieved whisper. " _Please hurry back, X._ "

 **Notes** :

Thanks to Adam for beta reading this chapter.

Capcom fans should know where Kanzuki Corp. comes from, but in case you don't, it's the company owned by Karin Kanzuki's family. Karin appears as a playable character in Street fighter games.

Berkana is the main antagonist in Mega Man Xtreme 2, she's powerful in her own right and there's no official information on her creation, so I simply decided to give her one. Also, Berkana does look like adult Karin from Street fighter V somewhat.

Mechanical forests have appeared in the franchise since the original Mega Man game and I thought it would be interesting to give them an explanation that related them to one of the organizations in the classic games, in this case, the X Foundation from Mega Man 6.

I also figured X would stop finding Light Capsules with armor upgrades at some point, so I thought this would be the better time to do it, of course, I'm sure Doctor Light would make the last capsule worth it, so I hope the Apollo Chip (based somewhat on the Mega Man X3 chip upgrades) is interesting enough.


	34. Chapter 34

-34-

The feline reploid stood tall amongst his Runnerbombers, watching as they worked hard setting up his area's defenses. The Tunneler behind him started digging with a thunderous roar and the nuclear bomb he'd been ordered to protect was behind the stone ruins, not too far away from where the excavation was taking place. Once he got confirmation that all preparations were in place, he jumped to the top of one of the many monoliths in the ruins and roared at the sky in defiance of any Maverick Hunter who may dare invade his territory. He was certain any hunter fool enough to challenge him would die by his paw, for he was the Apex Predator of this savanna… _Claw Leoparder!_

=0=

Vile and Scarlet were walking out of the medibay as X and Alia were coming in. Vile was as good as new once he'd had his chest armor replaced and his energy recharged, but X looked tired and the renegade hunter understood the annoying blue stain had taken a severe beating.

"You're not supposed to let the stupid mavericks hurt you," he chided as X passed by him. "I'm the only one allowed to kick your ass, so you better pick up the pace or I'll take down Lumine and steal all your thunder."

"Shut up, Vile," the blue hunter warned in a hoarse voice, since his voice box had actually taken some damage from the caustic cloud Acidflow had generated. "Go bother some Maverick instead."

"And miss the chance of bothering you?" Vile retorted with a laugh. "No, I'd rather see you fail at this Casanova game you're playing, X. Because you're not man enough to handle two women."

"You're not even man enough to handle one," X throatily shot back and stood there in silence, glaring at Vile.

For a second it seemed as if Vile would say something or even punch the blue hunter in the face, but he simply allowed X and Alia to walk into the medibay.

"Gotta admit, that was a good one," Vile said as he crossed his arms in thought. "Seems that idiot _is_ finally growing up."

"Don't pay attention to what he says, Vile."

He shrugged and then turned to regard Scarlet, "Trust me, I never do. Anyway, what can you tell me about my next target?"

"Claw Leoparder is a former Repliforce soldier who served in Slash Beast's unit. After the Repliforce coup he joined a gang of racketeers, acting as their main enforcer," Scarlet said while she followed after Vile, who had started walking back to Control Room. "According to HQ's latest report he's been on the run for months; I guess he was laying low until Lumine recruited him."

"I can't sympathize with Repliforce trash," Vile declared. "They were just a bunch of pretenders!"

=0=

Vile touched ground right outside the stone ruins. As he looked around and listened to the Tunneler's engine roaring in the distance, he understood he would have to cross the ruins before he could stop the gigantic machine. Deciding he had wasted enough time, the renegade hunter began running towards the ruins, wondering how strong Leoparder actually was and if fighting him would be worth his time. Vile had read about the Repliforce coup, and other than the Colonel and the General, he has always considered the rest of the Repliforce soldiers to be useless, Maverick Hunter wannabe weaklings.

"Well, I guess I'll find out soon enough," Vile decided and shot his finger-gun at a few flying robots that approached him, destroying all of them. "Hmp… not impressive."

Feeling this area would be a waste of his talents, Vile simply moved forward, shooting at everything that dared stand in his way, making short work of a series of Jammingers that approached him from the air. The renegade hunter was starting to feel bored by such poor defenses and, when he reached the ruins and found only a few Guardroids patrolling the entrance to a set of stone stairs that went up the side of the ancient structure he didn't even bother to slow down, instead he used his Combiner system to mix the Triple Bomb and the Fire Stinger, which rewarded him with the Burning Riot Missile for his shoulder cannon.

"Alright, let's see what this baby can do," he chuckled as he aimed and shot his new ammo.

The Burning Riot turned out to be a spherical missile that divided in three smaller ones, which exploded above the Guardroids, showering them with flaming napalm, destroying them all in one hit.

"Not bad!" Vile laughed while he rushed up the flight of stairs, only to stop the moment he reached the top. Up here, he found a tall, bulky green and yellow robot with extendable claws for hands was waiting for him. An old RT-55J. Vile had honestly never expected to see such an old model again.

Old or not, the fact remained RT-55J units were very strong and durable robots.

=0=

" _From what I can see, the parts of Eve-Y that were used to repair your electronic brain are what the other capsules detected,_ " Doctor Light's hologram indicated. " _My analysis also indicates that your ability to experience emotions should have improved. You are more than a Robot Master now, Splash Woman. Not an Advanced Robot Master like X is, but something in between. This is unprecedented and something I never imagined possible._ "

"Does that mean I'm now like Blues, then?" Splash Woman asked, approaching the capsule while she studied the hologram of her creator, finding this one emitted a frequency slightly different than that of the other ones. "When you finally told us about X, you mentioned Blues was the one closest to him as far as programming was concerned."

" _Yes, in a way,_ " the hologram agreed with a pleased smile. " _This is really amazing._ "

"… Are you really Doctor Light?" the marine Robot Master asked then. While happy that she had met again with her creator and still not sure what the enhancements to her programming could do, she was also wary this hologram could start saying she was Eve-Y just like the others.

" _No, I am not, of course, at least not in the flesh_ " the AI replied with a chuckle. " _The other holograms you met are merely recordings;_ _I am a mind transfer of the original Thomas Light. I have his knowledge and memories, at least up to a point. I must admit I am not the last memory transfer the original Light did._ "

"What does that mean?" Viktor asked, no longer being able to remain quiet.

" _Ah, the current Doctor Cossack,_ " the hologram said with a nod. " _I must congratulate you for Axl, your boy is a remarkable robot_."

"I'm… _wow_ … Doctor Light praised my work!" Viktor gasped, completely starstruck. "I… I just don't know what to say…"

" _Your work is praiseworthy, young man,_ " Doctor Light assured. " _As for your question, it means there is another memory transfer out there, one that is far more complete than me. One that is not anchored to a capsule and can move around at will… I can't leave this capsule, you see, and the only way I have to gain new information is by reading the memory files of any machine that approaches me or when the final memory transfer contacts me._ "

"That's very interesting," Viktor said as he started musing about the implications of what the hologram was saying.

"Doctor Light, do you know what happened to Blues?"

" _I'm sorry, no,_ " the AI answered. " _He was still operational when I was created, and since your memory files only indicate that you and he were in charge of taking Eve-Y to Siberia, I'm afraid I can't tell you more._ "

"Where is the other memory transfer you mentioned?" Viktor wanted to know. "Perhaps he has the information Splash Woman needs?"

" _The final memory transfer has his own capsule in Doctor Cossack's Citadel, and returns there when he needs to. That much I do know,_ " the AI said. " _I know his capsule was taken there._ "

"Where is the Citadel?" Viktor asked, anxious to know where the Cossack Citadel was so he could go and unearth the many secrets it no doubt kept hidden.

" _I do not know that,_ " Said the hologram. " _The original Doctor Light deleted that information from my recordings for security reasons."_

"I see…" Viktor shook his head and then smiled. "It's alright, I am sure I can find that information or that my wife can find it for me. I'll go call her to ask her help with that, Splash Woman. Will you be alright alone here?"

"Yes, I will," she said. "But I thought you wanted to talk to Doctor Light."

"I do, but this is the chance to discover my family's secrets!" Viktor Cossack said with a smile worthy of a child after receiving the toy he asked for his birthday. "I'm sure you can bring me here to visit Doctor Light again soon, right?"

"…If you wish, I can certainly ask Alia for permission at a later date," the mermaid agreed.

"Perfect, now if you will both excuse me…" and that said, Viktor simply left the armor room.

"I do have another question, Doctor Light," Splash Woman started once she was alone with the hologram of her creator.

" _What is it, child?_ "

"You and Doctor Cossack said I have parts of Eve-Y inside me," Splash Woman said. "Is that true? I have trouble accepting that information."

" _Yes, it is,_ " the hologram nodded. " _At a glance, all Viktor told you is correct. I could give you a better analysis if you enter the capsule, and maybe give you one or two upgrades. Would you like that?_ "

"Yes, I would," she accepted. "What do I do?"

" _Just enter the capsule, my child._ "

Splash Woman waited until the hologram vanished and then did as it requested. She was immediately bathed in light and could feel how the capsule's sensors analyzed every inch of her body, but something else also happened: she felt her OS was being updated and not just that, small modifications to her ports were being made thanks to Doctor Light's advantageous transformation system. The procedure ended rather quickly, and she was finally able to step out of the capsule.

And as soon as she did so a wave of new information hit her hard. She shook her head and took a few seconds to shut out all the data around her. Her RMC field had expanded too, and not just that, she now had knowledge of the language current mechaniloids used installed in her databanks.

" _I updated your Operative System so that you can interface with present techonlogy,_ " the hologram said as it appeared again. " _And I installed all the current coding used in your memory files._ "

"I noticed, doctor," she said, taking a deep breath. "It actually took me by surprise."

" _I also upgraded your ports; you'll be able to interface with current computers now._ "

"Noticed that too," she smiled. "Thanks, now I won't have to let other people do it."

" _As for the Eve-Y parts inside you,_ " the AI started, " _they are indeed there. A third of your electronic brain was replaced with Eve-Y's. Your photoreceptors are hers, same as your power core and other less important parts, too._ "

"I must say this really isn't what I hoped for," she sighed. "My mission was to keep her safe and I failed."

" _You can't change what happened, Splash Woman, but the results do have benefits. Thanks to her parts your body works more efficiently now. Your IC can handle information and emotions better than before, and your core can now increase your power output, which allows you to charge your special weapon,_ " the hologram explained. " _In fact, I upgraded your Weapon System so that you can charge your Laser Trident. It should help you if you ever need to fight again. Don't blame yourself; I'm sure you did the best you could._ "

Splash Woman looked at her hands and directed power to them, finding that she could store it without having to release it. She did this until her body started glowing and a warning indicated that she had reached the maximum possible charge level. Feeling pleased by this, she allowed the energy to dissipate and then turned to face her maker's hologram.

"Thank you, Doctor Light," she said and bowed in gratitude. "What you did will be very helpful."

" _Don't thank me, it's the least I could do,_ " the AI smiled. " _Is there anything else you wish to ask?_ "

"Actually… yes, what do you know about this hunter named Zero?" She asked after a moment of doubt. She didn't want to make Doctor Light's AI feel uncomfortable, but she did have to know and she would probably not have another chance to ask anytime soon. "When he is close to me, I felt an extreme aversion to him, almost like how the Dark Energy Zero Virus felt when it tried to attack our systems and programming. X says nobody knows who created Zero and I can't find anything about him in my memory banks other than a link to deleted files. I think… well, I have analyzed all possibilities I could and I am almost certain… so tell me, is Zero the last Wilybot?"

" _I really made you all too smart, didn't I?_ " The AI said, placing his hands on his back. " _Well, given what you know it is not strange that you came to that conclusion. Yes, Splash Woman, you are correct. Zero is the last Wilybot._ "

The Robot Master audibly gasped at this confirmation. "And… and you have not done anything to stop him?"

" _No, I have not._ "

"But… but why?" she asked, failing to understand how that could be. "Wilybots are dangerous! If he is anything like Bass, then…!"

" _Zero is not like his older brother or the other Wilybots. There is nothing to worry about,_ " the hologram assured, his voice calm. " _He used to be dangerous, but his programming was wiped clean after his first confrontation with Sigma and now he is sincere in his good intentions._ "

"How… how can you tell?" the marine Robot Master questioned.

" _I analyzed him during one of the previous Maverick Uprisings; there is nothing dangerous in him. There are some traces… memories, of Wily in his programming, true. But they are inaccessible to him other than in dreams. Zero is not a danger, Splash Woman,_ " Doctor Light indicated. " _And he has more than earned my trust._ "

"What changed him?"

" _The Dark Energy Zero Virus was made for him, it was with him,_ " The AI said. " _But after his fight with Sigma the virus abandoned him and changed hosts. Once he was free of it, his memory was wiped clean and his basic programming, which was similar to that of X, became stable, making Zero a good person instead of the raging maniac he originally was._ "

"That means Zero is another Advanced Robot Master…"

" _Yes, Wily built Zero after Bass gave him some blueprints he stole from my lab._ "

"This is incredible…" Splash Woman removed her helmet and ran a hand over her hair with a tired gesture. "I'm not sure how I feel about it at all. Is Doctor Wily always going to plague us?"

" _I have a favor to ask,_ " the AI said then. " _Please, do not tell X what you discovered. He is not ready to know about Zero's origin. Let their friendship continue as it is._ "

"What?" Splash Woman almost screamed. "Why? It makes no sense!"

" _X and Zero are the last creations of both Wily and Light,_ " the AI said. " _They are friends, just like Light and Wily should have remained… because of that, I don't want for anything to hurt their friendship._ "

"I can see what you're trying to say," the mermaid sighed as she put her helmet back on. "But I can't promise I will do what you request, Doctor. If I determine telling X is in his best interests, then I will."

" _Can you at least consider it?_ "

"Yes. I can do that," she promised. "And I will decide what to do after the current crisis is solved."

" _That is fair, thank you._ "

"You're welcome, Doctor Light, for the upgrades and the information," she told the AI and bowed again. "I wish I could stay, but I must go now. X may need my help."

" _I understand. Please do go and help him, he's the only other Lightbot left._ "

=0=

Vile dodged again and shot a third Ice Spear missile at the RT-55J; so far he had discovered that was the most effective weapon against the large robot, causing it decent amounts of damage with each hit. He lamented he didn't have any electrical weapons yet, as he thought that would be more effective against this mechaniloid. He dashed under the robot's arm and shot a Burning Riot at point blank, which finally made the old robot fall, though it unfortunately didn't destroy it.

" _Vile, have you downloaded the Acidic Bubble yet?_ " Scarlet asked then. " _It should be able to melt that thing's armor._ "

"I don't want to use any Special Weapon obtained by X!" Vile retorted.

" _Neither would I, but this time you should consider it,_ " The redhead said. " _Particularly because Leoparder's file indicates he's weak to corrosive and other toxic materials._ "

"Really now?" Vile chuckled. "Intriguing."

Just then the RT-55J got back up, and threw his clawed hand at Vile, who jumped to the side and shot him a regular missile to distract him while he downloaded the Acidic Bubble and mixed it with the Fire Stinger, obtaining the Stinkboy Capsule for his arm cannons, which he shot at once, sending a full of acid rocket attached to an incendiary tip at the big robot, The tip ignited on impact, releasing an acid cloud that corroded the armor and inner circuits of the RT-55J, and upon contact with the robot's fuel, it caused it to blow up.

" _So, how was it?_ " Scarlet asked.

"Quite decent actually," Vile answered. "Now let's go for that lousy cat!"

=0=

Vile used his considerable speed to run past a series of Runnerbombers and then turned around quickly so he could shoot a Burning Riot at them, once again defeating them without trouble. Satisfied, he jumped down the other side of the ruins, arriving at a square surrounded by a series of stone columns. The Tunneler and the nuke were just on the other side of this platform, and so was the control panel to deactivate the stupid, lousy digging machine.

Vile started walking slowly and on his guard as he expected Claw Leoparder to attack him any moment. When a flash of light shined above him, cutting through one of the columns and toppling it so it blocked his path, the purple-armored hunter knew his target was finally there.

"The Maverick Hunters sent a criminal against me?" Claw Leoparder queried as he jumped down from the further most column, landing next to the one that had just collapsed.

"If that's your idea of an insult then you have a long way to go," Vile laughed. "Too bad time is not something you still have."

Without any further warning, Vile shot an Ice Spear missile at Leoparder, surprising him enough to hit him in the chest. The ice weapon proved to be harmless for some reason, as the feline maverick simply jumped back up and to one of the columns, using this maneuver to dive towards Vile.

"Try this, Flash Claw!" he shouted, extending his arms and bringing them forward at blinding speed, unleashing a wave of light that struck Vile right in the torso.

"That didn't even hurt, moron!" Vile answered after noticing the Flash Claw hadn't caused any damage. He tried to retaliate with a knee bomb, but discovered he could not move at all.

"It's not supposed to, you fool!" Leoparder said as he punched Vile hard. "The Flash Claw stalls your servomotors and forces them to restart, meaning you'll be at my mercy for a while."

"Clever trick," Vile muttered as he fell on his back. He had to admit Leoparder was strong, as his punch _had_ hurt. Doing a quick self-diagnostic, he understood he could speed up the restart of his servomotors if he increased his Power Core's output by 30% which sure, would lower his energy an equal amount, but he thought it was worth it just so he could destroy the annoying cat.

"And now, Vile, I'll rip your core out!" Leoparder sentenced as he crouched over Vile's paralyzed form and extended his claws. "And I'll even dangle it in front of you as you die."

"That's where you're wrong, asshole!" the renegade hunter challenged quickly shooting the maverick with a Stinkboy Capsule, hitting him in the mouth. The missile detonated not only burning Leoparder's face, but it also released the toxic, acid cloud straight into his throat!

"Aaagh…! What is this?" The leopard maverick yelled, his hands over his mouth as he fell on his side. The burning and highly corrosive vapor released by the Stinkboy Capsule seeping through his systems, decomposing every circuit on its way down, causing Claw Leoparder pain unlike anything he had ever felt before.

"Not so confident now, are we?" Vile mocked, getting up and kicking the maverick hard on the stomach, sending him rolling until he crashed into one of the columns. "You're pathetic _Crap_ Leoparder, no wonder you could never climb the ranks in Repliforce!"

"I'll… I'll kill you, Vile!" the maverick managed to get out and tried to stand up but it was useless; his face was melting, one of his eyes was now dangling out of its socket and his lower jaw was little more than a mess of corroding metal. His chest was also disintegrating, and a large hole in his midsection revealed the acid vapor was eating at his inner systems so fast he would stop functioning in a matter of seconds.

"Make threats only when you can back them up," Vile said. "You know… I'm normally not merciful, but you're so pitiful I'm going to give you a quick death."

And saying nothing more, Vile shot a Burning Riot at the feline maverick, incinerating him in what was a faster, if not any less painful, execution.

"And now, let's see what your weapon's data can do in hands more capable than yours…" Vile mused as he picked up Leoparder's weapon chip from his corpse and analyzed it. That done, the renegade hunter simply shot a Stinkboy Capsule at the control panel, destroying it and in turn deactivating the Tunneler working beyond the ruins.

" _That was awesome, Vile!_ " Scarlet said then, admiration evident in her voice. " _You're the best!_ "

"Well, of course I am," he gloated. "Send the bomb squad, Scarlet. I'm heading back to HQ to see if Signas has something else for us to do."

" _I'll see you here then._ "

=0=

 _Somewere else…_

Lumine could not believe what he was seeing, half his Tunnelers had been stopped and that was _not_ supposed to happen! Of course, he had planned for this eventuality and already had a backup plan prepared, but the fact remained that he had chosen the strongest or most capable mavericks based on the information he found on the Hunter's databases, and they were still being defeated so easily!

The psychotic New Generation huffed in disdain at the weakness of his men and decided to leave them to their own fate. If one of them stopped the hunters then he would simply combine his back-up plan with the one already in motion to unleash an increased amount of destruction.

Convinced he would reach his goal of cleansing the planet no matter what, Lumine walked all the way down to the man laboratory of his Factory, where he found a tall reploid whose head was crowned by an odd, tubular head piece.

"Hello, 'Doctor'… how is your assignment going?"

"I could do it faster without these things on my arms," the mysterious reploid said as he lifted his hands to show Lumine the chains that limited his movements. "I can't properly work like this."

"You can and you will unless you want to be erased," the New Generation reploid threatened with a somber tone. "And if you try to remove the inhibitors and escape using another body, there will be consequences, do you understand?"

"Of course I do," answered the doctor as he resumed working. "Don't worry, what you asked for will be ready soon, I promise."

"Make sure you don't break that promise, 'Doctor', for your own good," and this said, Lumine left the laboratory.

 **Notes:**

Thanks to Adam for beta reading this chapter.

I can't tell you who this 'Doctor' is yet, but I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out.

The Jammingers are enemies from the original Mega Man X.

The RT-55J is the same model of robot that protects the chest armor upgrade in the original Mega Man X and is fought in Sting Chameleon stage.


	35. Chapter 35

-35-

He flew high, going up and up until he was above the clouds, once there, he extended his sharp wings and hovered in place as he used his sharp vision to look down at the Aeronautics Research Center located deep in the mountains. He frowned as he saw a helicopter leaving the research center. A quick scan revealed it was piloted by the team of reploid scientists he had been looking for. It surprised him they had managed to hide from him and even more that they were trying to escape him. For a moment, the maverick considered letting them go as a fitting prize for their bravery, but he soon changed his mind and reached for the halberd strapped to his back. His weapon in hand, he swooped towards the helicopter with the speed of lightning stretching his wings wide once he was in front of it to stop his descent and, before the pilot could react, he spun his spear unleashing from it a powerful electric current that obliterated the vehicle, sending it crashing down the precipice below where it finally exploded in a ball of fire. The winged reploid then gracefully landed on the highest platform in the Aeronautic Research Center, where he spun his halberd once before strapping it again on his back, feeling confident he would never be defeated, for he was the Lord of thunder and lightning… _Thunderbolt Falcon!_

=0=

Axl sighed in relief once Doctor Cossack finished installing the new plating on his back that replaced the one Flame Scorpion had pierced during their battle. He had previously made sure to wash away all the burnt oil that Scorpion had injected into him, as it was interfering with his servomotors. But now that repairs were done, the young hunter was itching to continue with his mission.

"I have to admit I didn't think you'd need repairs so quickly," Viktor Cossack said. "I'm glad I was here, the work on your servomotors is something I rather do myself."

"Thanks… dad," Axl said with a hesitant smile, still feeling a little reluctant about calling Doctor Cossack that, but happy he had the chance to do it at the same time. "Scorpion got me by surprise, that's all. The next one won't be that lucky."

"I'm counting on that," Viktor told him his voice expressing some concern. "And I'm counting on you all stopping Lumine as well."

"He will be stopped," the prototype promised his maker. "We'll put an end to his madness."

"Good, because I really want to find the old Cossack Citadel," Viktor explained with a glint in his eyes. "I always thought it was destroyed more than a century ago, but I just got confirmation it still exists, and I'm sure it holds many secrets I would love to see."

"That sounds interesting, may I go with you?" Axl asked. "This kind of involves me as well, since I'm a Cossackbot and part of the family now, right?"

Viktor smiled. "Yes, Axl, you're family and it will be great to have you with us when we go there, who knows… we may even find some of your antecessors there."

Axl grinned, feeling pleased that he finally had a connection with a family other than the Maverick Hunters. He hadn't really known how much he needed that until now that he had it.

"That'd be cool! I checked the old databases about the Robot Masters while you were repairing me and some of the first Cossackbots were really cool, like Ring Man, he looked badass!"

"…Excuse me, can I come in?" Pallette said from the door, not daring to enter without permission.

"Sure, please do," Viktor invited as he stood up. The scientist gave Axl a soft pat on the back and winked at him. "Well, it seems you and the lady need some alone time, so I'll go to the Control Room and see if I can help Signas before I have to go back to Russia. Be nice with the lady, Axl."

"F-father!" Axl stammered, but all the answer he got was a wave as his creator exited the medibay room he had been assigned to.

"I'm glad Doctor Cossack was still here to fix you again," Pallette said as she approached. "I was really worried about you."

"I'm glad, too," Said Axl, staring at Pallette with great interest. He had seen her before he got his two missions, of course, but it was only now that he could really pay attention to her new appearance. Pallette looked a few years older, almost his age. Her body was a little more adult, streamlined and with more noticeable hips and breasts and while she still couldn't compete with Alia or Layer in those departments, he really didn't mind, for him Pallette was perfect as she was.

"You're staring, do I look weird like this?" She asked, feeling shy under his admiring gaze. "I'm… it's… it's just that this was the only compatible body the factory could beam in when Lifesaver called them. It's not my fault!"

"I think you look great, Pally," Axl confessed. "And I like that your armor still has the same colors as usual, green suits you well."

"You… you think so?"

"Yeah… a shame you didn't change your hairstyle," he teased with a playful grin.

"Idiot," Pallette chuckled and sat next to him. "Axl… would you…"

"Go on, Pally," he said, reaching for her hands. "I'm listening."

"Let's go somewhere once this is over," she invited. "Someplace calm. We can spend a few days together, just the two of us. Wouldn't it be nice?"

"Yes… I'd like that," Axl told her, giving her hands a soft squeeze. "I'd really like that."

=0=

Strong winds welcomed him to the barren mountains as soon as he materialized on a ledge on the side of a cliff. The air around him was cold and the howling of the wind made the place far more threatening than it should be. Not that this scared Axl, he had survived navigating trickier areas than this before and was certain that climbing to the top in order to reach the Research Center would be easy, if only very time consuming. The prototype frowned and hoped he would find a vehicle or a Ride Armor along the way.

" _I'm really sorry we couldn't give you better coordinates so you could teleport closer to the Aeronautics Research Center,_ " Pallette apologized. " _The interference is particularly strong there._ "

"It's alright, this is close enough," Axl answered while loading his guns. "No problem, Pally."

" _If you say so,_ " the navigator said. " _Call me if you need help._ "

"I will," he replied and cut communication. Axl then studied his surroundings and found a hidden stairway that went up all the way to the top of the mountain. The stair was narrow and appeared to be unstable, but it should be more than enough. Feeling lucky, he started his ascent.

=0=

Splash Woman entered the medibay and rushed to where she had heard X had been repaired and was still currently resting while his energy recharged. It didn't take her long to find his room, and she used her enhanced RMC field before knocking on the door to confirm X was there. As she expected, she found X was not alone. The mermaid could identify both him and Alia, something that didn't surprise her since she knew how much the blonde navigator cared for X's well-being. She hesitated for an instant, wondering if interrupting was a good idea.

" _Should I?_ " Splash Woman thought. She could admit she didn't particularly like the way Alia favored X ( _though she still wasn't sure why_ ), but she preferred to avoid being impolite. In the end, she decided the new information she had obtained was too important not to share immediately.

And so she knocked on the door and entered as soon as she was invited. The mermaid found X sitting in an open recovery capsule, wires attached to his back and front, recharging his core back to a hundred percent. Alia was on a chair in front of him, and she held a data pad in her left hand, as she had apparently been showing X something important. Splash Woman smiled and offered them a nod, feeling pleased they weren't as close as they had been in Gate's lab.

"The Light capsules worked for me," she announced with a triumphant smile as she discreetly sat next to X. "I talked to Doctor Light, and he gave me important information."

"They… they did?" asked X, mouth agape as he listened to the Robot Master's revelation. "And you talked to father?"

"Yes, he told me that…" Splash Woman made a pause as an image of Blues, followed by memories of them together entered her mind without her doing a search for them. That was new, and it threw her off balance for an instant.

"Are you alright?" Alia asked, honestly concerned.

"I… I think so," the mermaid said after taking a moment to recover with a deep breath. "Several memory files opened at once without a prior request and… no, my apologies. Please don't worry about it; they were nice memories of long ago… good ones, really."

"I see…" X nodded, uncertain on what to say next. He really didn't know how to comfort her when she remembered her past and that saddened him a little, he was supposed to be the one helping her, wasn't he?

"I'm fine, X," the mermaid assured with a smile. "Doctor Light's hologram told me there is a memory transfer of him who is not bound to a Light Capsule and who can tell me what happened to Blues and the rest of my friends."

"Wait… a memory transfer?" Alia asked, already wondering what that meant. "I thought the holograms were just recordings or in the case of one, a very advanced AI."

"Is that what the holograms are, then?" X asked. "Memory transfers of father?"

"Only two of them, but yes, that is what the more advanced ones are," Splash Woman said. "The last one is in Russia, in the old Cossack Citadel, but we don't know where the citadel is, and I don't have that information either."

"There aren't any records of its location." Alia provided, looking at her data pad with a thoughtful frown, "at least none that I can find."

"After Doctor Wily kidnapped his daughter Kalinka, Doctor Mikhail Cossack made sure the location of his citadel was erased from all databases, not even _I_ have it in my files, and I was active back then," Splash Woman lamented. "Very few people and Robot Masters knew the location."

"A pity… and I would like to find the Cossack Citadel as much as you, Splash Woman, particularly if I can find more information about my past there, but Lumine has to be stopped first," X said, always mindful of his duties. "But once that is done, we can ask Viktor Cossack's help finding it."

"True," nodded Alia. "Saving everyone is more important right now."

Splash Woman stared at X and Alia and felt glad to see they were as responsible in times of crisis as Rock and Roll had been. It made her feel safe and confident Lumine would be stopped. Offering them a soft smile, she stood and walked to the door.

"I agree. I'll let you rest, X," she told him. "I'll be waiting for the two of you in the control room."

=0=

Axl pressed himself against the wall to dodge the incoming energy bullets from a group of Guardroids armed with plasma guns. This situation was not ideal, as he had no cover and not a lot of room to maneuver. He could try to climb the walls, but that would leave him open to enemy fire. Having no other options, he downloaded all the Special Weapon data and went through it quickly, deciding on the Ice Slither as the other weapons could possibly cause damage to the surrounding area, something he wanted to avoid at all costs as it would make climbing the mountain even more difficult. His Weapon Copy System immediately adapted the Special Weapon, and rewarded him with the Frost Machine Gun.

"Neat, let's try this baby!" Axl exclaimed as he rushed towards the guardroids, shooting a barrage of ice bullets at them. While it was true the individual bullets were too small to properly freeze the target, the Frost Machine Gun shot so many of them in quick succession that detail hardly mattered. It took only seconds before Axl was surrounded by seven frozen guardroids.

"Better than expected," he grinned, looking appreciatively at his new gun.

" _Axl, something big is coming your way, better be careful!_ " Pallette warned, bringing Axl back to attention. " _It's an insect mechaniloid, it seems to be well armored._ "

Before Axl could reply a large, blue mechanical beetle rose up to his level, its long snout cutter spinning with a menacing buzz. The young hunter frowned as he searched his memory files for anything similar, but found nothing.

"Pallette, what is this thing?" he asked as he jumped to the side, barely dodging the beetle smashing where he had just been standing. "And how do I stop it?"

" _It's an old Beetron,_ " she answered. " _Don't waste your ammo on it, try to ride it instead._ "

"Ride it? I don't think that's a good idea," Axl complained, jumping and hovering in place to again dodge the insistent mechaniloid.

" _On the contrary, Beetrons are very simple,_ " Pallette said. " _Their main function is transporting cargo; if they detect something on the platform on their backs, they'll take it and unload it on the highest platform in the area by default. If this Beetron's core programming wasn't deleted, you could save a lot of time by riding it!_ "

"For real?" Axl smiled at this convenient information. "Thanks Pally, that was very useful!"

Waiting for a chance, Axl dropped back and stood still until the Beetron dived towards him. At the last possible moment, the prototype jumped high and managed to land on top of the mechanical beetle, if only barely; he even had to quickly kneel and hold on to the insect robot to avoid falling. Then, just as Pallette had told him, the Beetron's eyes glowed green and it started going up, and up, and up at ever increasing speed until it reached the Aeronautics Research Center, its large landing platform to be precise.

"Heh, thanks for the ride, pal!" Axl said as he jumped off the mechanical insect. He was preparing to rush into the structure to avoid any further trouble with the Beetron, but before he could, a blast of electricity hit the robot, destroying it in one hit.

=0=

"So, you are Axl," a tall avian reploid stated as he descended on the landing platform. "My name is Thunderbolt Falcon, and I have always wanted to meet you… the last time I saw my mentor he told me you possessed incredible potential."

"…Your mentor?" Axl asked feeling confused at this revelation. "Who are you talking about?"

"Oh, you knew him well," Falcon said while distractedly examining the tip of his halberd. "Or have you already forgotten Wind Crowrang?"

Axl lowered his guns and shook his head. He still remembered Crowrang, how could he not? The Crow had been Red Alert's combat instructor and one of Red's closest friends. The prototype had even taken several combat lessons from him and had fond memories of his strenuous training.

"I haven't forgotten Wind Crowrang," Axl declared. "He even taught me a thing or two!"

"Yes, I know," Thunderbolt Falcon grinned and pointed his halberd at the young hunter. "So what do you say we see who his best student was, Axl?"

"Hey, if that's how you want to do this, I'm all for it!" the black armored hunter said with a grin that mirrored that of the winged maverick. "Let's have a fight for the title!"

"Hah hah, hah… you're fun!" Falcon laughed as he took to the air. "Get ready, I won't hold back!"

=0=

Axl jumped left and then right to dodge the falling electricity. After going up, Falcon had spent most of the time shooting lightning at him, dodging swiftly the few bullets the young hunter had managed to shoot his way. This process repeated four more times before both rivals stopped, having realized they had entered a stalemate of sorts.

"Well, what now?" Axl called, "You can't hit me, I can't hit you…"

Falcon grinned and dived at the young hunter with such speed even Storm Eagle would have been impressed. This move took Axl by surprise and he only managed to dash out of the way by pure luck; he had expected Falcon would immediately go back up, but the severe electric shock that struck him in the back proved he was mistaken. Thunderbolt Falcon had stayed on the ground to shoot a mighty electric blast at him, taking advantage of the moment he dropped his guard to dash away from him.

"You are wrong, kid; I _can_ hit you," Falcon sneered in triumph, preparing his spear to shoot a second bolt of electricity at his prey.

"Must admit that was clever of you…" Axl grunted as he got back to his feet, scanning his systems to discover he had received considerable damage; his power core was now at 76%.

" _Axl, can you hear me?_ " Pallette called then. " _We completed our analysis on Thunderbolt Falcon, his servomotors are specialized for speed, anything that jams them or forces them to reset should cause him massive damage!_ "

The young hunter, busy dodging a second blast of lightning, could not reply and nodded instead, knowing Pallette could see him on the satellite view. Axl quickly went through the Special Weapons he had, finding nothing that could have the effect his navigator had suggested.

And then he got an update alert: Vile had just uploaded the Flash Claw.

Thinking trying that one couldn't hurt, Axl quickly downloaded it while jumping out of the way of another blast. He shot three times at Falcon, forcing him to use his Halberd to block the bullets while his Weapons Copy System adapted the new Special Weapon into something he could use.

And finally, this new weapon took form and its name flashed in his mind. The Claw Gun, which Axl quickly materialized, finding it was a revolver with a long barrel, a wide muzzle and thick grip; all of this necessary to support the long blade extending up from the barrel. Axl had little time to marvel at this sort of sword-pistol hybrid, because Thunderbolt Falcon attacked him again.

The attack came too fast for Axl to move out of the way, and in his desperation the only thing he could do was rise the Claw Gun, and much to his surprise its blade acted like a lightning rod, drawing in and absorbing the electric charge.

[ _Claw Gun energy at 200%-Flash Claw can be used five times now._ ]

Axl grinned after reading the message his new gun relied to him. Looking at Falcon, who appeared to be quite surprised by what he had just seen, the young hunter pulled the trigger, unleashing a blast of light from the blade of the Claw Gun.

The wapon's effect proved to be effective, as Falcon was immediately paralyzed. Axl took advantage of this to shoot at the avian Maverick with his regular pistol, causing additional damage to the incapacitated maverick.

"You cheater, where is your honor?" Falcon suddenly shouted after forcing his power core to increase his energy output to restart his servomotors. He cursed inwardly as he realized his energy had dropped to 40%. If Axl attacked him again with that cursed weapon it would all be over!

"Look who's talking, you're willing to help Lumine destroy the planet!" Axl challenged. "If there is someone here with no honor, then that's you… Crowrang would be ashamed!"

"How dare you say that after you and the hunters killed him?" Flacon growled, finally losing his temper and running at Axl and bringing his weapon forth, trying to impale him.

Axl parried the attack and countered with a swing of his Claw Gun, which was blocked easily by his rival. Their weapons clashed again and again, neither of them willing to give any ground as they tried to outmaneuver the other until the tip of the halberd and the blade of the Claw Gun crashed and locked, both fighters pushing hard against the other, knowing that the one who won this contest would get the upper hand and a chance to deliver one final, fatal blow.

"I'll defeat you, Axl," Falcon swore. "I'll avenge my master!"

"You want revenge?" Axl hissed as he kept pushing against Falcon's halberd. "Is that why you're doing this? You fool! At least Crow was manipulated by Sigma… you have no excuse to go Maverick!"

"It matters little at this point," Thunderbolt Falcon said, pushing harder than before. "I don't care about Lumine or his stupid plan! I don't care about the stupid bomb or the Tunneler behind this Research Center… right now, victory is all I need!"

"I can't let you have it," Axl told him, standing firm as he closed his eyes. "Goodbye, Falcon."

And then he pulled the trigger, activating the Flash Claw at point blank.

The powerful blinding light enveloped Thunderbolt Falcon, paralyzing his servomotors and causing an energy imbalance that cracked his power core, creating a leak that started a chain reaction all over his systems, destroying him from the inside out.

"The master… would have been… proud," Thunderbolt Falcon managed to get out. His systems were in code red, telling him he had less than a second left before permanent failure. Admitting defeat against a superior adversary, he offered Axl this: "You truly are… his best student… it was an honor… to fight you."

"Falcon?" Axl tried, looking at the other reploid, who now stood motionless, black smoke rising from every joint in his body. The maverick's eyes had burned out and Axl could not detect any trace of energy inside him. Thunderbolt Falcon was dead.

The young hunter sighed and placed his hand over the shoulder of his defeated rival, feeling strangely saddened by this hunt, something he hadn't experienced since Sigma forced him fight his friends from Red Alert.

"Thank you for those words, Falcon…" Axl said with a hint of regret in his voice. "I'm not sure if I'm Crowrang's best student, but I'll try to live up to your expectations."

The young hunter stood there in respectful silence for a minute, then reached behind Falcon's helmet and pulled out his Weapon Chip so he could copy it. After a moment of hesitation, Axl also decided to take his rival's halberd, thinking it would be a shame to leave it behind and that perhaps Zero could do some good with it.

=0=

"Pallette, do you copy?" Axl called once he entered the Research Center's control room. In the main monitor he could see the Tunneler and the bomb, both located on the other side of the mountain.

" _Yes, Axl, what can I do for you?_ " She said, answering right away.

"I'm deactivating the Tunneler right now," he said as he pressed a series of buttons on the main control panel. "You can send the bomb squad, this mission's complete."

" _I will,_ " after a pause, the navigator said: " _Are you ok, Axl? You sound… sad._ "

"I… I'm fine," he answered, "just dealing with some ghosts from the past, that's all."

"I see… well, if you need to talk, I'm here for you."

"I know, thank you."

=0=

 **Notes:**

Here we are again after a short hiatus, and we return with an Axl chapter, I hope you enjoyed reading it.

With this seven mavericks are down and there's only one left; I'm sure you guys already know which hunter gets the mission.

And you all made very solid guesses about the identity of the mysterious "doctor" from the previous chapters, and we'll see more about him real soon.


	36. Chapter 36

-36-

The rock cracked and crumbled into small stones revealing behind it a short, stocky reploid with brown armor and large, deadly claws he could spin at amazing speeds; his long nose serving as an antennae able to generate a powerful magnetic field, which he used to manipulate the metals and minerals in the ruble around him, pushing them all to the far end of the tunnel he was in, blocking that section in such a way it would take any hunter days just to dig through. Satisfied after closing the fastest route to the control room, he spun his claws again and bored into the solid ground, creating a tunnel back into the area where he had chosen to face the Maverick Hunters. His miraculous digging skills allowed him to be there in a matter of minutes, and he was pleased to see the mechaniloids under his command had brought even more raw iron and pieces of scrap metal. Confident in his fighting style and ability to hide underground, he felt certain he could defeat anyone who dared challenge him, the ruler of these caverns… _Magnetoid Mole!_

=0=

Zero opened his eyes and stood up, finding his systems had been completely recharged, that his power core was at a satisfying 100% and that the wiring in his legs and left arm had been completely replaced. This surprised him, as he never imagined the Ice Slither would have caused any sort of internal damage. In the end, however, he decided it didn't really matter, as he was completely repaired now. He flexed a couple of times to test if his wiring had indeed been replaced properly; finding everything was in perfect working order, Zero finally wondered where Layer was. She had been there to meet him when he returned after defeating Frostbite Fox, and she walked with him to the medibay. He assumed she would still be here.

"Ah, good to see you're awake," Lifesaver said once the door opened. "It took us longer than we expected to repair you, mainly because we were doing it at the same time we started to recharge your power core."

"That means the emergency is over?" Zero asked. "Don't tell me X already defeated Lumine."

Lifesaver shook his head. "No, but there are only three mavericks left; Axl just left to the area controlled by Thunderbolt Falcon, and I heard Vile was about to engage Claw Leoparder in battle."

Zero nodded. "What about X?"

"He took some damage during his fight with Acidflow Venus Trap. We finished his repairs a moment ago and he's currently recharging his power core," Lifesaver explained.

"Well, I'd say we're doing alright all things considered," Zero said. "Thank you for your help Lifesaver, see you around."

He walked through the corridors as fast as he could without actually running; he had for a moment considered visiting X, but he heard his friend talking with Alia and Splash Woman, and since Zero had no intention of getting involved in the triangle X was willingly trapping himself into, the crimson hunter simply turned the other way thinking he could always talk with his friend later.

That was when he saw her. She was walking towards him, a magnificent vision of beauty and elegance. For a split second Iris came back to the front of his mind before fading, but this time Zero didn't feel remorse of any kind. He cherished his memories of Iris, but he could finally let her rest in peace and move forward. Relaxed now that he had seen Layer again, he went to meet her.

"Zero," she said, smiling at him. "I was on my way to see you."

"Funny, I was doing the same," he answered with a playful grin. "Maybe I should have waited."

"No. It's good we met here," Layer told him, glancing at the empty hallway, feeling glad nobody would be able to see them. "I was worried… Lifesaver said the wiring in your legs and one arm…"

"Had to be replaced," he completed for her. "Yes, but I'm ok now, thank you for worrying, I…"

"I should have been there with you," she interrupted, her shoulders shaking a little as she was overcome with emotion. "But Signas needed me and…"

"Hey, don't worry," Zero said, closing his arms around her. "I understand, it's alright."

"I… I really love you, you know?" Layer confessed, face buried in his chest. It was not the first time she had told him how she felt, but for some reason she believed this time it would really count. She relaxed when his embrace tightened around her, and she realized she really didn't care if he didn't answer her, all that she needed was to feel like this. That was all.

"I know that," he said after a moment of just holding her close, enjoying the warmth of her body next to his. He reached up and held her face in his right hand, caressing her so she would look up to him.

"Zero, what…?"

He kissed her. Not many reploids did this, kissing was a human thing, after all, but once he had looked at her, seeing the raw emotion in her eyes, the glimmer of hope in them and finally her inviting, her partially open full lips… he found that he could not deny his feelings now. He wanted her. No… more than that, he truly needed her. And feeling the way she closed her arms around him so she could press her body against his, showing him she too shared his desire, Zero finally understood that he actually had come to love her. The realization filled him with both a sense of completeness and fear, and he broke the kiss so he could look at her again, hoping to find an answer there. Should he be afraid for the two of them or…?

No. The same glimmer of hope was still in her eyes. She would trust him always. He knew Layer would be with him no matter what, her feelings unwavering. She would always be there to complete him and love him… and all he had to do was to love her back.

Zero decided he could do that and more for her.

"That was… _wow_ … I… I think I may overheat…" Layer sighed, smiling as she caressed his face.

"That would make two of us then," he chuckled reaching up to hold her hand in his. "Let's do this again after Lumine is stopped, Layer… and not just this, but more."

"I think that would be nice," she sighed, still enjoying the aftertaste of his lips, "very nice."

"Well, now I have one more reason to complete this mission quickly," he smiled and gave her another kiss, a quick one this time, "because I really want to enjoy your kisses more."

=0=

He landed near the entrance of a mine located at the base of a hill covered by red sand. He glanced around, all his systems scanning his surroundings but finding nothing around him. Not liking how quiet things were and having no other option but to move forward, Zero ignited his Z-saber and started towards the massive gaping hole, ready to face whatever defenses the maverick hiding here had prepared.

He descended until the tunnel elbowed left and into a dead end, but upon closer examination Zero discovered that section of the tunnel had been recently blocked. Frowning, the crimson hunter looked around and found a small opening to his right that went further down the mine, it was barely big enough for him, but he believed he should be able to manage it without getting stuck.

As he moved through the claustrophobic hole, Zero realized that he had yet to see any hostile mechaniloid, in fact all he had seen were destroyed robots near the mine's entrance. It seemed when Magnetoid Mole took over the mine he didn't reprogram the machines working here, an oddity since most mavericks tended to use all resources at their disposal to defend the areas they conquered. Well, not his problem, it in fact helped him as it made things easier for him.

Zero arrived to the other end of the passage and had to bash the hilt of his saber into the wall to dislodge a large rock in order to get through. He entered then into a large cave full of energen crystals protruding from the ground and walls, forming a mesmerizing view. This spectacle reminded him about the reason why this place was called the 'emergency mine'. It had been named this way because of the large iron and energen crystal deposits located here. At the time of its discovery, it was considered that the mine was so rich it could even help civilization survive any energy crisis or emergency without difficulty, and so the name 'emergency mine´ had stuck since then, as ridiculous as it sounded.

Not that remembering that piece of trivia would help any with the current mission, so Zero instead focused on the job. The fact nothing was attacking him kept him on edge and he didn't like it one bit, it was too suspicious.

And then a metallic sound forced him to turn around, where he saw several mechaniloids descending from the wall, ready to attack.

"Now this is more like it!" Zero said and prepared to defend himself.

=0=

Splash Woman entered the Control Room to find Signas busy talking to Vile and Scarlet. Vile was complaining about having nothing to do, while Signas simply told them they had completed their missions and should wait while Lumine's fortress was found, and that they could either stay here or go to the mess hall until they were called. Vile and Scarlet weren't pleased with the answer, but they agreed on waiting in the mess hall as they both considered it a better option than staying in the Control Room.

The mermaid stood still while Vile and Scarlet walked past her without even acknowledging her presence. Splash Woman didn't like them much because of their crass attitude, and was truly glad they had chosen to ignore her.

Once the two rude hunters were gone she finally approached Viktor Cossack. The doctor was sitting in a corner, reviewing some information in one of the many computers in the room. He appeared to be worried over something, and the mermaid hoped it was not something related to the current crisis they were facing.

"How did it go with Doctor Light?" Viktor asked once Splash Woman was near him. "Were you able to learn the answers you needed?"

"Yes, most of them," Splash Woman said. "Doctor Light also upgraded my OS, my ports and my weapons system… but he unfortunately didn't know where the Cossack Citadel was, I'm sorry."

"I don't assume you have that information in your memory files, do you?" The scientist sighed with an air of disappointment. "I can't find it in the HQ's database, and Nina can't in ours, either."

"I'm sorry, doctor, I don't have it," she apologized, then remembered something. "But maybe…"

"Do you have any leads?" Viktor asked.

"I think I do," she said. "I'll be back in a moment."

"Wait, I thought X wanted you to stay here, and…!"

But Splash Woman didn't listen to him; she simply smiled and teleported out of HQ, leaving Victor Cossack sitting in astounded silence. After a moment of reflection, the roboticist simply shook his head and decided Splash Woman could to take care of herself and if she couldn't, X would probably be able to help her.

…

She materialized outside Cossack Laboratories in Saint Petersburg.

"The facilities are closed," a tall insect based reploid said when she approached. "We'll be open again after the current Maverick uprising is over. Please return to your house and stay there."

"I was working here," Splash Woman said. "I need something I forgot in my lab. Please let me in."

"You are not in the list of employees and I can't find a visual match of you in my memory files. Please leave the premises."

"Just call Nina Cossack. I know she's here," Splash Woman requested. "I won't leave until you do."

"I'm not going to call Nina Cossack for something so trivial," the insectoid reploid stated. "Leave."

Understanding this conversation was going nowhere, the Robot Master did as ordered and teleported away, only to…

…Beam right inside the building. She smiled pleased by her strategy, deciding she should have done this since the beginning. It was fortunate that her energy signature was unlike the ones of current reploids, as that allowed her to bypass the defenses that prevented current machines from beaming into the laboratory.

"Piece of cake," she muttered as she opened the door to the lab and walked to her desk, glad to see everything was just as she left it.

The mermaid picked up the memory chip that was inside Proto Man's helmet and smiled as she remembered his voice telling her about the things he had seen during his many travels…

She sighed and closed those memory files, making a note to open them at a later time. She had to analyze the memory chip now, and the only way to do it was to interface with it. Splash Woman removed her helmet and took out the chip she had there to replace it with Proto Man's; that done, she put her helmet back on.

"As I imagined…" she muttered once she had access to the old chip's databanks. Blues _did_ have the location of the Cossack Citadel, and of several other places that she felt would be nice visiting again, his 'base' in particular. She had visited his home only twice, and he had insisted she didn't record its location as he wanted to keep it a secret from Doctor Light. Something else that caught her attention was that the chip's battery was almost out, it had only 36 hours of life left.

"Well, there's no need to let all this information go to waste," she decided and downloaded every map and location Blues had in his helmet's chip into her electronic brain. That done, she formatted the old chip and replaced it with her own. And just in time, because just then the alarms went off.

"Took them longer than expected to detect me…"

She placed the old chip back in Proto Man's helmet and then put it back inside her drawer. She was about to teleport out when the door opened and Nina Cossack, followed by the large insectoid reploid from earlier, entered the room.

"H-how did _you_ get in?" Nina asked. "No machine should be able to enter _or_ exit Cossack labs when we are in emergency mode!"

"Well, I guess I'm just that special," Splash Woman answered with a witty smile. "Don't worry, I just came to pick up something of mine that was here. I'm leaving now."

And just as she did to Viktor, Splash Woman teleported before Nina could utter a single word.

=0=

Zero's saber bounced again off the magnetic field the ant mechaniloids attacking him had protected themselves with and he quickly dodged left to avoid the missile the robotic insect shot at him in retaliation. The crimson hunter had tried everything in his current arsenal, including the Triple Bomb and none of it had worked; the force field around the ants resisted everything he had.

"This is stupid," Zero groaned as he brought his saber up to block a plasma bullet one of the ants had shot his way. The insects had two attacks: missiles and plasma bullets, but the fact he couldn't hurt them and their mobility allowed them to attack in very efficient patterns that made it difficult for him to defend. "Layer, do you have any ideas on how to deal with these bugs?"

" _Magnet Ants…_ " Layer said sounding thoughtful. " _You don't have any electric weapons, Zero, that's their main weakness. Your best bet is to time your attacks until they drop their magnetic fields and hit them then._ "

" _Or you can use this weapon I got!_ " Axl suddenly interrupted. " _If it's an electric weapon you want, I have just the thing, Zero!_ "

" _Axl, how in hell did you…?_ " the crimson hunter frowned and moved back a bit to avoid another missile. " _Leave this channel, now!_ "

" _He did bring a halberd to HQ,_ " Layer said. " _I'm looking at it right now; you should give it a try._ "

"Fine, send it here," the red armored hunter agreed. "And Axl… thank you, now get out of our frequency!"

" _You're welcome, and as you wish!_ " Axl laughed goodheartedly and cut communications off.

" _Sending the Electric Halberd now,_ " Layer rejoined. " _Take them out, Zero._ "

"Count on it!" he answered as the weapon materialized in his right hand and he did a few practice swings, smiling as he found the sharp halberd was perfectly balanced. Zero then downloaded the Thunder Striker, the special weapon Axl got from Thunderbolt Falcon, and used it to learn a new technique that fully utilized the power of his new spear: the Denki Tatsumaki.

The Magnet Ants paused when they noticed their target was now charging at them instead of avoiding their attacks, something that proved to be their doom. Zero jumped and landed in the middle of the insects, crouched and then performed a raising slash, spinning the halberd with both hands and releasing a mighty electric tornado that not only dispersed the magnetic field the ants protected themselves with; it also overloaded their systems, destroying them all at once.

"I think I've found my favorite weapon of this new set…" Zero grinned as he looked at the smoldering remains of the Magnet Ants. "This one's great!"

=0=

It didn't take Zero long to arrive to what he imagined was the deepest part of the mine. The ground trembled under his feet and the humming of a gigantic drill filled the dusty and stagnant air here in the depths, signaling the Tunneler and the bomb where near. The energen crystals on the walls shined brightly down here, reflecting light on the red of the iron ore that surrounded him, filling the corridor with an eerie and dim light.

Zero used a dash jump to go over a deep pit and finally got to the end of the large tunnel. He entered a large room, big and wide as an auditorium and littered with loose raw iron and bits and pieces of destroyed mechaniloids. The Tunneler was also here, right in the middle of the enormous space, digging even further into the ground and to its left rested the last nuke.

"Now we just need to find the resident maverick…" Zero said as he approached the unguarded control panel a few steps ahead of him.

"No need for that, I am here!" Magnetoid Mole shouted as he emerged from the ground, right behind Zero. The maverick managed to surprise the crimson hunter, and took advantage of this by slashing his back with his sharp claws with enough force to send him rolling down the ground and crashing into a large rock. "You're Zero? I expected better from a hunter as famous as you!"

"Oh, we're just getting started!" the crimson hunter said as he jumped back to his feet. "We hunters have been looking for you for quite a while, Mole, it's time you face justice!"

"It's time you face death!" the maverick taunted and went underground.

Zero started dashing left and right so he wouldn't be an easy target, as he knew Mole was planning on hitting him from below again. He was familiar with Magnetoid Mole, who was very notorious for murdering as many reploid diggers as he could every time he invaded a mine to steal energen crystals. Mole was in fact very dangerous, with a body count of at least sixty.

"Stay still, you cursed blonde cheater!" Mole shouted as he emerged with a burst of dust and gravel from the ground. The maverick had tried to smash claws first into the crimson hunter, and had missed him by very little.

"In your dreams!" Zero countered, taking this chance to dash back, halberd at the ready and when he was right next to Mole, he went into a crouching position and exclaimed: "Denki Tatsumaki!"

The powerful electric tornado caught Magnetoid Mole in a spinning blast of electricity, causing him great damage as he smashed against the ceiling. When he fell, Mole realized his power core had dropped to an alarming 45%.

"Don't think you've won!" Mole growled as he got back up. He waited for Zero to try another attack and when the hunter was about to use his special technique again, the maverick released a powerful magnetic wave, which he used to lift the pieces of raw iron and metal scattered around them, spinning them at great speeds and slamming them into Zero.

Even when taken by surprise by this new attack, Zero was able to block and slash through most of the junk and rocks the maverick threw his way before being hit and thrown off balance and rolling right in front of Magnetoid Mole.

A quick scan revealed Zero his core was still at a healthy 73%, but he really didn't want to give Mole a second chance to attack him; luckily for him, Magnetoid Mole was so eager to destroy him he became completely careless.

"Die, Zero!" Mole screamed, spinning his claws to rip him apart by digging right through him.

"Not today, Magnetoid Mole," Zero said, quickly bringing his halberd up, impaling the maverick straight in the chest. The hunter, his grip firm on his weapon, got on his knees and called forth his special technique for a second time. "Denki… Tatsumaki!"

The resulting electric blast annihilated Magnetoid Mole, destroying his body almost completely in a fiery explosion that left only his head and chest intact. Zero crouched to look at the remains of the maverick and picked up Mole's weapon chip, analyzing it and uploading the Magnet Barrier into the Hunters' weapon database.

"Layer, it's done," Zero called as he examined the control panel, pressing a series of buttons to deactivate the giant Tunneler. "Send the bomb squad, the area is clear."

"Excellent, they'll be there soon," the navigator promised. "Good job, Zero!"

"Thank you, Layer. I'll see you in a minute."

=0=

"This is inconceivable!" Lumine screamed and smashed his fist through the screen that showed the status of the areas his generals controlled. The last one had just gone from green to red, indicating the hunters had destroyed his last maverick.

"Fine… let them have this victory. This is just a minor setback," the deranged New Generation said as he looked at his trembling hands. "Yes, it is fine, no need to worry. I still have the backup plan. I can still kill this world and build mine over its ashes…"

Grinning maniacally as he imagined the burning ruins of civilization, Lumine made his way down into the laboratory where his scientist 'friend' was still working on a very special project.

"Did you complete it?" he asked as he entered the lab. "Well, did you?"

"Yes, it is complete," the Doctor said. He was standing next to a large, floating sphere of black and red metal. "I just finished it."

"Excellent," Lumine appraised as he circled the sphere. It was roughly his size, and it pulsed with warm, inviting power. "You really outdid yourself, Isoc."

"Can I leave now?" the tall reploid asked. "I do not wish to be here when the hunters arrive."

"Leave?" The mad reploid smiled sinisterly. "Oh, no, you will stay here."

"But you promised…"

"I lied!" Lumine interrupted. "Now start building me a spare body in case X and his friends destroy this one… well? Start working if you want to stay alive, you lazy, obsolete piece of trash!"

"As you wish," Isoc said, seething with silent rage as Lumine walked out of his lab.

=0=

 **Notes:**

Alright, all the Mavericks are defeated and we're now ready to enter the last few chapters of the second arc of the story; I'm sure you all know what's coming now, and I'll do my best to make it interesting.

Denki Tatsumaki means Electric Hurricane.

And the mysterious doctor was indeed Isoc, just as many of you guessed. He isn't happy with Lumine, of course, but there's not much that he can do at this point.


	37. Chapter 37

-37-

Splash Woman beamed into the same spot on the roof where she had been singing earlier. She took in a deep breath and looked at the city around the base; so futuristic looking to her, so strange and immense to the point of making her feel small. She couldn't fully accept this was her world now, the place where she would live until her final deactivation. The mermaid shook her head, this future was not bad from what she had seen, but she would certainly feel safer with Blues by her side.

" _But he's gone… and I still can't process that fact no matter how much I try,_ " she realized. " _I've tried to ignore how this makes me feel, but…_ "

But the truth was that no matter how much she tried to forget about Proto Man, his memory always lingered in her mind, memories of them together always resurfaced, reminding her of the immense happiness she shared with him, knowing that they two were the first Robot Masters to share such bond made things between them far more special, and the feeling of emptiness that his absence caused her when she was alone like this was becoming almost overwhelming. The only times she could find a distraction from this sadness being those moments when X was near.

" _But X is not_ him," she thought. " _X is…family._ "

Yes, X was family. But family in what sense? She had yet to find an answer to that question.

"So here you are," a voice she identified as X called.

Splash Woman turned around to find Mega Man X and Alia behind her. They had obviously been looking for her and now she felt bad for making them, X in particular, worry.

"Viktor told us you left HQ without mentioning where you were going," X said, his tone of voice betraying how concerned he had felt. "I'm glad to see you're back safely, going out at times like these is dangerous."

"It's a good thing my sister told us you went to Cossack Laboratories and were back on your way here to HQ," Alia said as she placed her right hand on X's shoulder. "X was worried about you."

"My apologies," Splash Woman offered, feeling moderately surprised after detecting the concern in Alia's voice was sincere, as the mermaid didn't think the navigator truly cared. Perhaps Alia was far more honest than she had imagined. "I needed to get some information for Doctor Cossack, but it seems I misjudged, I…"

"Hey, don't feel bad, I know your intentions are noble," X said, walking up to her and holding her hands in his. "I just don't want to see you damaged, you are very important to me."

"I don't want to see you injured either," Alia said as she also approached her so she could hug both her and X, forming a circle the mermaid found very comforting. "We are your friends, Splash Woman, and I would be very sad if you get hurt."

"Thank you…" she sighed and managed to return their smile. She broke the hug once she felt calm enough and nodded at them "Thank you for your friendship, I really do… so, shall we go back to Control Room? I'm sure we are needed there."

"Yeah, we better go," Alia smiled, glad to see Splash Woman was feeling better.

=0=

The mermaid followed X and Alia into the Control Room, noticing the rest of the elite team was already there: Vile and Scarlet were standing in a corner, keeping to themselves; Axl and Pallette stood close together to Signas left, both of them paying close attention in case the Commander of the Maverick Hunters said something important and further right, Zero and Layer sat next to each other. Viktor Cossack was also there, but he was sitting in a terminal and was still working on his own. Looking at the scientist now and recalling how excited he had been when he first heard about his ancestor's laboratory, Splash Woman decided it was best not to give him the location of the Cossack Citadel just yet, as she feared Viktor would act recklessly if he had access to that information.

" _I'll just tell him after Lumine is defeated,_ " the mermaid thought as she followed X and Alia.

"Nice to see you're back," Viktor said once he noticed Splash Woman had returned. "Did you find anything useful?"

"Yes, but I… I think it'd best if we wait until the emergency is over before we look at it. I'm sorry, Doctor Cossack, but it's safer this way."

The scientist chuckled and nodded. He was so amazed by Splash Woman having the ability to act this way that he couldn't feel upset by her decision. And it didn't really matter either, he could wait until things were back to normal. It was, just as the marine Robot Master said, safer that way.

"Agreed," the man smiled. "I wouldn't want the Citadel to be compromised if we go there now."

Splash Woman was about to answer, but the main monitor in the room screeched and started showing only static until, little by little, Lumine's face appeared on screen. The New Generation smiled evilly and then spoke, saying this:

[ _Hello, Maverick Hunters. I imagine congratulations are in order, you defeated all my men and secured my nuclear bombs before the time limit I gave you. You should feel proud of yourselves._ ]

[ _But that is nothing but an empty victory. What you accomplished is meaningless! My Nightmare Soul Factory is finally complete and operational, and I can now flood this world with Nightmare Virus if I want to!_ ]

[ _Oh, but fear not, using the Nightmare Virus that way would be a waste, it's much more effective to use the Nightmare Souls as fuel for the Nightmare Drives I'm assembling here… and there is something else I want to show you all, look._ ]

Lumine moved to the side then, revealing a gigantic underground hangar where stood a missile so tall and massive it easily dwarfed the eight bombs the hunters had just secured.

[ _That is the Great Winter, the ultimate nuclear bomb! Powerful enough to destroy everything! I will launch it in three hours and trust me when I say you can't stop me, this world will die!_ ]

Lumine's face vanished then and the monitor flashed twice before going back to what it was displaying before. The room had gone silent, as every hunter and navigator was now wondering what Lumine's new threat really mean. Most of them couldn't believe one single nuclear bomb could be so dangerous, tough both X and Zero knew it was possible.

"Alright, I guess I'll be the one who asks," Vile announced from the corner, his voice hiding how upset he felt. "How screwed are we? I can tell things are bad and that you know something we don't, Signas, so drop the silence and talk to us, damn it!"

"Things are indeed very bad," the Maverick Hunter Commander managed after he quickly composed himself. "I was certainly not expecting this."

"And he's not lying," Viktor Cossack rejoined.

"What exactly is the Great Winter?" X asked, "Can it really do what Lumine said?"

"Yes, it can, and more," Signas answered, interfacing with the monitor so a different image of the titanic missile Lumine had showed them appeared on screen for all to see. "The Great Winter. They called it this because it doesn't matter where it explodes, it will cause a nuclear winter covering the whole planet."

"And the blast would be several times stronger than the impact that wiped out the dinosaurs. The Great Winter is really that powerful," Viktor Cossack rejoined. "Apart from the nuclear winter Signas mentioned, the actual blast could theoretically decimate an entire hemisphere."

"But… but why would someone create a weapon like that?" X demanded, furious at the idea that such a powerful weapon existed and that Lumine had it.

"A terrorist organization that conquered several countries created it," Signas said. "The leaders of this group were convinced the only way to achieve their goals was to have a weapon with the power to destroy the world."

"This happened thirty years before you were found, X," Viktor Cossack explained. "The Commando Team was able to stop the terrorist group, free the countries under their control and secure the Great Winter. This crisis led to the formation of the High Command."

"And the High Command stated they had dismantled the Great Winter after the Commando Team delivered it to them," Signas provided, thoughtful as he spoke.

"Well, the High Command clearly had other plans for the thing!" Axl said then, he was frowning and feeling quite upset by this development. "They goofed it and now their mistake came back to bite us all in the a…!"

"Whatever their reason, it is done and in the past. Right now we have to deal with this situation, and quickly," Zero intervened then. The crimson hunter was feeling as worried as everybody else, but managed to keep his emotions under control. "And we have to remain calm, otherwise we'll make mistakes and that's what Lumine is counting on."

"Zero is right on that," X agreed. "We need to focus on finding a solution to the problem."

"Yeah, tell me how?" Vile said. "We would normally go blast him, but we don't know where that asshole is hiding!"

"A problem we can solve," Signas said then, stepping forward and taking back command of the situation as it was his duty. The tall reploid had assimilated the situation to the point he felt sure of the course of action that needed to be taken, and was now using his full intellect and remarkable logical skills to find a solution for the most immediate problem.

"What do you want us to do?" Alia asked then.

"I want you and the other navigators to find the place from where Lumine is transmitting," the Commander said. "You have thirty minutes, use the standard procedure to calculate his approximate location; utilize all the satellites we have if you need to, it doesn't matter what it takes, you find where that maniac is hiding!"

"Yes, sir, right away!" Alia stood straight, determination filling her every circuit now. She couldn't fail this; the survival of every living thing in the world depended on her success. Taking a deep breath, she turned and looked at Layer, Pallette, Scarlet and all the other navigators present in the room. She nodded at them and pointed at their terminals. "Okay ladies, you heard Commander Signas, let's get to work. We will use the transmissions sent from the areas our hunters just cleared to triangulate Lumine's location, I know we can do it!"

=0=

Thanks to their hard work and determination, Alia and her navigator team completed the necessary calculations faster than what even Signas had imagined, only thirty minutes.

"We have it!" Alia exclaimed, right fist up as she celebrated their triumph. "We know where Lumine is hiding!"

"Excellent!" Signas appraised. "Good job, now put it on the main screen!"

"Of course," the blonde navigator said, then motioned to her right. "Layer, if you please?"

"With pleasure," the tall navigator pressed a sequence of keys on her terminal and the image of an island covered by a tropical jungle appeared on the huge monitor. "That's the place."

"Laguz Island," Zero frowned at this revelation. "I don't like it at all."

"Neither do I," X agreed, "this might be difficult."

"Why? That island doesn't look that dangerous to me," Axl said.

"That's where the Erasure incident happened, kid," Vile corrected. "Don't you ever read?"

"Nah, I'm too busy hunting Mavericks," the prototype answered with a grin. "Anyway, what's that large building in the island?"

"That one over there?" Zero said as he pointed at the monitor. "That's the Laguz Research Laboratory, X and I almost died in there."

"I'm familiar with the technology Berkana used to steal DNA souls from reploids all over the world," Viktor Cossack interposed then. "I'm sure it would be fairly simple for Lumine to modify the old machines in the Research Laboratory to turn it into that Nightmare Soul Factory."

"That makes sense, and judging from all that has happened so far, I believe you are correct, Doctor Cossack," Signas said, considering how this revelation affected their current situation. "I don't think Lumine brought back Berkana or Gareth, but you should be prepared for that possibility."

"It doesn't matter if they're back. We'll retire them again if they try to stop us," X swore with a determined frown.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I like the way you think, X!" Vile approved with a laugh. "Very well, what are we waiting for? We know the coordinates to that island, let's go blast Lumine all the way to the deepest hole in hell!"

"I support that motion," Axl said, eagerly anticipating the opportunity to finally stop Lumine once and for all. "Alright guys, let's do this!"

"Make sure you four recharge your weapon energy levels before you go," Signas ordered. "And I want you all to have a full subtank with you."

=0=

 **Notes:**

Laguz Island and the Reploid Research laboratory are of course locations from Mega Man Xtreme 2. I believe it would be fitting to use them here.

The Commando Team is the name of the group formed by Captain Commando and his three friends. It's simply another nod to Capcom that I thought would be fun to include.


	38. Chapter 38

-38-

She rushed through the halls, hoping to see X before he teleported to that Laguz Island where he would meet the one behind this crisis. She didn't know where the storage room was, but she could easily fix that problem using her new ability to interface with current technology. Slowing down, Splash Woman sent a query for directions to a small flying mechaniloid that was doing maintenance duty on the lamps above her. The little machine identified the petitioner as a high hierarchy reploid and complied instantly, sending her a full map of HQ. The mermaid, pleased with the results, nodded at the robot as she passed it and mentally thanked Doctor Light for her upgrades.

Knowing now where she had to go, Splash Woman turned right on the next hallway.

She saw him just as he was walking out of the storage room, tinkering with a subtank he was installing in his right arm's compartment. Zero and those other two hunters were already waiting on the corridor, but she paid no attention to them; she only cared about Mega Man X.

"Wait, X!" she called. "I need to tell you something before you go!"

X stopped and looked at Splash Woman with a doubtful expression, he then signaled Zero, Vile and Axl to wait for a moment and then walked up to her so they could keep the exchange as private as possible.

"What do you need, Splash Woman?" He asked. "We're kind of in a hurry."

"Please copy my Special Weapon," she said, extending her hands to him. "You don't have anything in your arsenal with the properties of my Laser Trident, I'm sure it will help you. Take it."

X hesitated for an instant, but seeing the worry in her eyes erased his doubts.

"If you want to…" He reached for her warm, slender hands and held them gently in his; activating his Weapon Copy System so he could obtain the weapon she was offering him. The process ended in a second and X slowly let go, finding that he wouldn't mind holding her hands for a little longer and feeling slightly troubled by that emotion.

"Thank you," he said. "I truly appreciate this."

"I'll appreciate it more if you return in one piece," she answered. "Please don't act foolishly out there, alright?"

"I won't, I promise you…"

"Can you hurry up?" Vile interrupted then. "In case you forgot we only have two and a half hours left to stop Lumine!"

"Shut up Vile," X warned him and then turned to face Splash Woman again. "As rude as Vile is, he is actually right, I do have to go."

"I know," she offered him a smile. "Go, but be careful."

X smiled back and nodded.

=0=

The four hunters had found no opposition as they crossed the jungle. There were no attacking mechaniloids, no spike traps or pits… even the mechplants were peaceful! The only real problem was the interference; it was so strong around the island, none of them could communicate with their respective navigators.

The silence and relative tranquility of their surroundings was affecting the hunters in different ways, however:

Axl was starting to feel bored. He just wanted to reach the Research Laboratory so he could punish Lumine for hurting Pallette, but it was taking too long.

X was as thoughtful as usual. He was suspecting, and not for the first time, that Sigma was behind everything, waiting for them inside the Nightmare Soul Factory.

Zero was calm and calculating as he led the group through the jungle, and he also wondered, just like X, if Sigma was the real enemy here.

There was one thing X, Zero and Axl had all silently agreed on: the importance of keeping an eye on Vile in case he decided to betray them.

And Vile, who wasn't stupid, understood he was being watched closely, but he didn't care if the other three trusted him or not. All he wanted was to complete this mission so he could get his money, the pardon Signas promised and, perhaps, a chance to fight Sigma in this island. Vile had always wondered how well he would do against that bald creep in a fight, and was hoping this mission granted him the opportunity to meet his former commander in battle.

"How long before we get to the factory?" he asked. "I'm getting bored."

"We're still a bit far," Zero answered with a cold voice. "We have to go beyond this hill, but maybe you already know that, no?"

"Still afraid I'm one of the bad guys?" Vile mocked.

"You mean you aren't?" Zero shot back.

Vile just laughed and shook his head. "You three are annoying me so much I kind of wish I was."

"We won't win anything arguing," X interrupted. "Fine, we still don't trust you, Vile. But we may change our minds about that if you help us complete this mission."

The purple armored hunter didn't reply and simply groaned his displeasure, moving past X with quick steps. The Blue hunter paused for an instant and shrugged at Zero, who was looking at him questioningly. Axl simply sighed and patted both his teammates on the shoulder, indicating they should keep moving or they would lose sight of Vile.

=0=

"So, who was that pretty reploid who talked to you before we came here, X?" Axl inquired taking advantage of a quick stop they made to check if they could communicate with HQ, something that proved unsuccessful, the interference was still too strong.

"Axl, don't ask stupid questions," Zero chided.

"Hey, it's a valid one!" Axl complained, though the only reason he had asked was how bored he felt since all his earlier anticipation had died during the long hike through the hills.

"She's…" X made a pause to really consider his answer. He evaluated all his options and analyzed his emotions, suddenly coming to an understanding that surprised even him. Yes, he cared for Splash Woman and she was very important to him, he enjoyed her company and friendship, and he worried for her and wanted to protect her… but she was also a Lightbot; the only other Lightbot active, in fact. The answer to how he felt for her and why he was so concerned for her safety was so obvious he should have seen it days before.

"Well?" Axl insisted then, much to Zero's chagrin and Vile's amusement.

"She's my sister," X said with a bright smile, feeling happy just by saying it, as if the action finally solidified the fact a member of his family was alive. "Splash Woman is my older sister."

Zero, who was leaning on a tree, simply nodded and said: "Tsunami Mako found her a while ago deep in the ocean. Turns out she was active even after a hundred years inside a Light capsule."

Axl's jaw dropped and it took him a second to process the information. In the end, he decided it was awesome a Robot Master from so long ago was still functional, because that meant some of the first eight Cossackbots could still be as well. He may have older brothers, too!

Vile found the information and the way he thought X was trying to have his way with two women so hilarious he had to focus on not laughing. The Blue Stain had a sister? That gave him so many options to get on X's nerves it was practically overloading his circuits to the point he couldn't hold back a chuckle.

"Yes, she is my sister. Do you have a problem with that?" X said, coldly staring at the former maverick. "And she's off limits, Vile. Insult me all you want but leave Splash Woman alone."

"You have a deal, X. I'll leave her alone," the purple armored hunter swore, "…and also follow your wishes by doing my best to insult you instead."

X was about to reply, but he simply just shook his head in defeat; trying to argue with Vile was just a monumental waste of time.

"Well, I think that's cool," Axl offered.

"What's not cool is wasting time," Zero cut in. "Now that we all know who Splash Woman is and that we can't contact HQ, I suggest we start moving again."

=0=

Lumine's Nightmare Soul Factory, built on top of the remains of the Laguz Reploid Research Laboratory, was an imposing construction of black stone and steel, columns of sickly green smoke rose to the sky from several tall smokestacks on the left side of the building, and the humming noise coming from the factory told the hunters it was indeed operational. The tall iron gates were open and unguarded, yawning into a poorly lit hallway decorated with metal statues of Sigma's previous battle bodies.

"Sigma. Just what I didn't need to see," Axl said as he and the other hunters entered the factory.

"A tad melodramatic if you ask me," Vile offered while knocking on some of the tall statues as he walked by. "These things are hollow, in case you were wondering."

"Mind games," X said, frowning as he looked around while trying to find the door to the next room. "Lumine's trying to make us nervous."

"Well, he's wasting his time if this is all he can do," Zero said, his attention set on the ornamental metal disk on the wall right in front of them. "That huge multicolored thing over there, on the other hand… that does look out of place."

"That is because it isn't there for decoration," a melodic, almost feminine voice stated.

The hunter quartet spun on their heels to see the factory gates closing with a loud clank and there, standing with his hands behind his back, was Lumine, glaring at them with fire in his eyes.

"Lumine!" Axl shouted, his anger boiling at the sight of the deranged criminal. "You'll pay for using me and for hurting Pallette!"

"Oh, the Prototype, I'm not going to…"

* _BLAM!_ *

Lumine fell on his back with a nasty hole between his eyes. Axl had shot him before he could finish his response.

"Now _that's_ what I call melodramatic," Vile said as he pointed at Axl.

"That actually hurt," Lumine admitted as he got up. The wound on his face was already healing and he smirked as he started levitating, rising high above the four hunters. "But you won't get a chance to do it again… Mandala Q-5, destroy them!"

"Come down here, you worthless coward!" Axl shouted, shooting at Lumine and hitting nothing but air, as Lumine simply teleported away.

"Calm down, you'll have another chance to get him," Zero told him.

A loud crash was heard then, and a laser beam crossed through the room, forcing the hunter team to scatter in order to dodge it. Vile and Zero dashed to the left side of the hall, hiding behind Sigma's statues, while X and Axl went to the right, also using the rest of the sculptures for cover.

"That must be Mandala Q-5," X said glancing at the multicolored disk of death that had detached from the wall and now floated above them. The colorful mechaniloid was armed with eight laser cannons, and all of them were busy trying to get a lock on them.

"Whatever, let's just destroy it!" Vile shouted as he prepared his shoulder cannon.

But he didn't need to shoot, because X fired a charged shot straight at the Mandala, hitting it dead center, which forced it to retract its cannons and spin, releasing a series of land mines that exploded in the walls, missing the hunters completely. The Mandala was clearly heavily armored, but a powerful enough plasma shot had interfered with its aiming systems, at least momentarily.

"There's a path going further into the factory where that thing used to be!" Zero shouted as he pointed at the wall. "Let's take it, there's no time to fight this thing!"

"Zero's right, we only have little more than an hour to stop the Great Winter!" X agreed. "Shoot at it to keep it distracted while we go for that exit!"

The crimson hunter didn't have to be told twice, as he shot a blast from his buster at the Mandala, forcing it to use its spin attack again. Zero and X, who were closer to the exit, had no trouble dodging the falling bombs and dashing into the next corridor, where they waited for their two companions. Vile attacked the mechaniloid next, shooting a Stinkboy Capsule at it, an attack that proved to be very effective as it melted one of the eight cannons. While the purple armored hunter would have normally taken advantage of this to finish off the enemy robot, he was not willing to let X or Zero defeat Lumine on their own so he rushed to the exit and joined them. That only left Axl, who was the one further away from their only escape route.

And the Mandala noticed this. Understanding its master's enemies were about to escape, the guardian mechaniloid released a barrage of bombs to where X, Zero and Vile stood. The resulting explosion forced the three hunters to retreat further into the corridor, which collapsed behind them with a loud crash.

"No!" X shouted, shooting a charged shot at the debris, hoping to clear a path so they could go back for Axl. "We have to help him!"

"There's no time for that!" Zero disputed, standing in front of X. "Axl can destroy that robot on his own, he's not weak, X! Don't you trust him?"

"I do trust him, but…" The blue hunter sighed and nodded, his friend was right. They had no time to waste. "I understand, Zero. Let's go, it's what Axl would want us to do."

=0=

"Well, now you've done it!" Axl muttered when he saw the Mandala had separated him from his friends. "Alright, you ugly thing, I'll destroy you and then find another exit!"

The Mandala Q-5 responded to the hunter's threat by going higher and pointing its seven functioning laser cannons at him. Axl tried to do the same thing X and Zero had done, but he soon discovered his Axl bullets were too weak to even scratch the Guardian bot's scandalous paintjob.

"Great, now what?" Axl groaned as he listened to a soft hum, which was followed by the Mandala shooting its lasers at random intervals, forcing him to dash, jump, cling to walls and to hover as he did his best to dodge the barrage of death the mechaniloid was attacking him with.

" _This is not good!_ " the young hunter thought, rolling behind one of the Sigma statues, trying to buy some time to think of a strategy. The Mandala was too high for him to jump over, and he couldn't approach it from the sides since it dropped bombs whenever he tried. A frontal attack was not a good idea either, he tried it and those stupid laser blasts had almost sliced him to ribbons.

A red laser shined above him then, and a heavy Sigma head fell with a clunk between his legs. The Mandala had found him!

"Damn it!" Axl cursed as he dashed behind the next statue, barely avoiding three laser blasts. A quick look back allowed him to notice one of the cannons was destroyed, which reminded him Vile had melted it with an acid attack.

Acid. Yeah, that should work. What did he have? Axl quickly went through the Special Weapons he owned, selecting the Acid Bubble so he could obtain a new weapon from it. He ducked and dashed further away from the Mandala and then the name of his new gun flashed in his mind: The Acid Harpoon Gun.

He materialized the new weapon immediately, earning a long pistol and a set of five small harpoons, all of them with an acid capsule attached behind the tip. Axl didn't have the time to admire his new gun, for the Mandala blasted the statue he was using for cover. Now in the open, Axl had no other choice but to quickly aim his harpoon gun at the mechaniloid and shoot at it hoping he would hit where he wanted…

And doing it! The Acid Harpoon hit one of the laser cannons, penetrating the armor and releasing its acid charge inside it, melting it away in less than a second! The only problem Axl could see was that the Mandala still had six cannons, and he only had four more harpoons.

=0=

"The hunters are already here," Isoc stated, entering the room where Lumine was. "It is time for me to leave this place."

"I said you couldn't leave, go back to work," Lumine declared without even looking at the reploid scientist.

"I'm afraid that is unacceptable," Isoc refused. "You are insane, and I don't want to be here when you are destroyed."

"Insane?" Lumine hissed, turning to meet the older reploid. "Destroyed? Hah! You old fool, the only one who will be destroyed here is you!"

And saying this, Lumine used the Fire Stinger on Isoc, engulfing him in flames that melted most of his body in a matter of seconds.

"Your destructive capabilities are impressive," Isoc's voice appraised. "Perhaps you may be able to destroy X, but Zero surely has the power to eliminate you!"

"Where… where are you?" Lumine asked, looking around desperately trying to find the traitorous scientist. "My inhibitors should not allow you to switch bodies!"

"Your inhibitors are a joke! I turned them off hours ago," Isoc laughed as he reactivated an old reploid body that had been resting in a corner since the Erasure incident. "Good bye, fool! I certainly hope your death is a painful one!"

And before Lumine could attack him, Isoc teleported away.

"…Fine, leave," the mad reploid whispered. "It doesn't matter, I'll find you later and punish you for this insult… you can count on it, Isoc."

A loud beep from his control panel alerted Lumine of something, and his attention returned to the main monitor. The three remaining hunters were about to enter the second station of his factory. Lumine grinned and decided it was time to see the hunters again. It would be impolite not to meet them face to face when he showed them the next surprise he had prepared for them, wouldn't it?

=0=

Axl grunted in pain as he crashed hard into the last Sigma statue. He had miscalculated his jump and landed right on top of one of the many bombs the Mandala Q-5 had dropped around the room. He rolled to the side and back to his feet, clutching his Harpoon Gun as he looked at his energy readings. His Power Core was at 43%. That was bad, as he had already used his Subtank to recharge after being hit by a laser that lowered his energy by more than half. He had to destroy the Mandala soon, otherwise…

The young hunter looked up and confirmed the Mandala was not doing better than him. The Mechaniloid still had three operation laser cannons and could still throw bombs, but black smoke was coming out of its seams and electricity sparked occasionally around it. The Mandala was severely damaged, and if Axl had to judge, its energy should be at about 30%.

How to bring it down to zero was the problem, as he only had one Acid Harpoon left.

" _There has to be a way!_ " he thought as he dashed under the guardian bot to avoid its lasers. " _And if I attack it from above? It has less lasers now, it may be worth a try…_ "

Moving quickly, Axl climbed over the remains of one of Sigma's sculptures and used it to jump to the nearest wall and from there towards the Mandala, hovering so he could land on top of it, reaching for and using a crack in the mechaniloid's armor as a handle to avoid falling.

"Alright!" Axl exclaimed, glad that his idea had worked.

But the Mandala, sensing its target was on top of it, started spinning in an effort to get rid of him, but it didn't work, Axl was simply not falling! The mechaniloid's programming, detecting a high possibility that this could mean its destruction, switched trajectories and went up!

"What are you dooooing?" the young Hunter screamed, noticing almost too late the Mandala was planning to crush him against the ceiling. Desperate, Axl jammed the Harpoon Gun into the crack and shot it, hoping this would finally destroy the stubborn guard bot.

The result was just what Axl expected; the internal damage caused by the Acid Harpoon triggered a series of internal explosions that finally destroyed the Mandala's central computer. Unfortunately, that didn't change the guard bot's trajectory and…

It smashed into the ceiling at full speed!

The Mandala Q-5 went through the roof of the factory, exploding in a massive ball of fire, splitting into burning pieces that rained all around the building with a deafening boom.

And then silence.

=0=

A large piece of twisted and scorched metal that was still red hot tilted slowly to the right, returned to its original position, and then moved again, this time collapsing on its side, lifting a cloud of dust and ashes. Coughing was heard and then, a shaking form managed to walk out of the wreckage, only to collapse after a few steps.

Axl had survived the battle with the Mandala Q-5, but he paid a great price for his victory. The young hunter was now blind as his optics had burned during the explosion. His servomotors suffered severe damage on impact, his legs were barely functional, his left arm was missing and his Power Core was at 7% and dropping slowly but steadily.

He understood he was going to die.

"I'm sorry… Pally…." He muttered. "I could… not… punish Lumine…"

" _I don't care about that, you… you big idiot!_ " Pallette screamed into his receptor. " _The interference outside Lumine's factory is gone and we saw what happened to you… Axl, you're on critical!_ "

"I… know… I…"

" _My readings say your teleporter still works,_ " the navigator interrupted. " _Come back to HQ_ right now _, you hear? Do it!_ "

"I'll… try…"

Axl ended the transmission and tried to activate his teleporter. A flash of pain that ran all over his body told him his self-repair systems were using all the energy he had left to keep him awake. If he teleported he would arrive unconscious to his destination.

He decided that didn't matter.

Groaning in pain, Axl forced his self-repair systems to obey him and diverted the necessary power to his teleporter, the pain coursing through him increased considerably, but this time teleportation was successful.

The young hunter beamed out of Laguz Island in a flash of white light…

=0=

 **Notes:**

And here we have the first of what would be the final stages in a game.

What comes next? Well, that's a surprise for the next chapter, when the remaining hunters enter the second ring of Lumine's Factory, but feel free to guess if you want to.


	39. Chapter 39

-39-

Pallette rushed into the landing platform as soon as the doors opened only to find Axl lying in a puddle of his own power fluid, surrounded by several other hunters who could do nothing but whisper their concern, for they all feared moving the young hunter would only damage him further. Axl had arrived to HQ less than a minute before, and in his current state it was a miracle that he had even reached the base.

"Axl, No!" She screamed as she ran to his side, rudely shoving two hunters out of her way so she could kneel next to him. "Please call Lifesaver, we need him here!"

"We already did!" One of the hunters said. "He's on his way!"

"…His energy is at only 0.5%," Pallette whispered, she had done a quick scan on Axl and what she found drove a needle of cold fear through her processors: Axl's core was cracked and leaking, he had less than two minutes before permanent deactivation.

"A med team will be here soon," another hunter offered.

"It'll be too late! Axl's core is…" she broke into tears as she struggled to speak. "…He's dying!"

No, she could not let this happen! She had refused to admit her feelings for him for too long, to the point it took Lumine nearly killing them both for her to finally express what she felt for him. She was not going to let that lunatic take the one he loved away from her. Axl would not die!

With newfound determination, Pallette opened the small compartment located under her left breast and reached inside, pulling out a thin wire meant for energy recharging. She then quickly did the same with Axl, exposing his damaged core. Taking in a deep breath, not sure if this would work, the distressed navigator quickly connected her core to his, hoping this could buy him time until Lifesaver arrived. Sharing energy this way was not something reploids were designed for, and as Axl's Power Core started draining large amounts of energy from hers, Pallette couldn't hold back a scream of agony that caused her to collapse.

…

She woke up in an operating room, her energy fully recharged and her systems all operating at maximum efficiency. Looking right, she saw Doctor Cossack working on Axl again, this time assisted by two medics of the Lifesaver model. Pallette sat in silence for several minutes, observing with undivided attention as the scientist worked, fear gripping her circuits every time Viktor Cossack shook his head or gave orders to the reploid medics assisting him.

"…Can you save him?" She asked, her voice trembling with anxiety.

"Yes, I can," Viktor said. "But I'd rather you leave if you can't be quiet, I need to concentrate."

"I …I'll stay," Pallette whispered, pressing herself against the wall, tightly hugging her knees against her chest. "I won't interrupt you, but please fix him, I… I love him too much to lose him."

"I will," the roboticist promised. "And thank you for what you did. The only reason Axl survived until we brought him here was because you shared your energy with him. You saved his life, Pallette."

=0=

"What do you mean you're going to Laguz Island?" Alia almost shouted, staring at Splash Woman and feeling convinced the Lighbot had gone mad. She and the Robot Master were in the hallway, they were supposed to be going back to Control Room, but the mermaid had stopped her to announce she was going to the Nightmare Soul Factory.

"Of course I'm going! Did you not see how badly hurt Axl was?" Splash Woman asked. "X's team just lost a member, I must go there and help them!"

"No, you must not!" the navigator disputed. "X made it quite clear you should stay here!"

"He didn't know this would happen!" the Robot Master argued. "I have to go!"

"You're not thinking logically again," Alia tried, knowing she risked upsetting Splash Woman, but she couldn't let her go to the Nightmare Soul Factory where she would most likely get killed.

"And who are you to tell me that?" The mermaid said, predictably annoyed by what she heard. "I don't have to listen to you!"

"This is just like the time when the three of us went to Gate's laboratory," the navigator said. "Did you forget?"

Splash Woman suddenly recalled Alia asking her how X would feel if she got hurt, and then the moment when the Nightmare Virus infected her. This actually made her reconsider her actions and she took in a deep breath to cool off her systems.

"I want to go there as much as you," Alia admitted, her voice softening. "And I will as soon as X defeats Lumine. Can't you wait until it's all over, Splash Woman? We can go meet him then."

"I'm just… I'm so afraid for him, Alia," the mermaid said in a low voice. "X is the only family I have left, if he dies…"

"I understand you. If something happens to X you would be losing a brother. That can't be easy, if Nina got hurt I don't know what I'd do…" the navigator offered, understanding then how Splash Woman and X were more like siblings than anything else. This realization helped her comprehend the despair the Robot Master was experiencing: X really was her only family. He truly was all Splash Woman had left and without him she would be completely alone.

"I… would be losing a brother?" the mermaid repeated, suddenly finding Alia's words deeply comforting. Her electronic brain considered the idea of X being her younger brother far more acceptable than any other alternatives and it quickly incorporated it to her programming. If she and X were siblings then they could have a solid, permanent relationship; a relationship that wouldn't be threatened by other factors such as Alia's obvious interest in him. Not to mention this would allow her to worry about him freely without wondering what his feelings were.

"Splash Woman?"

"It's… true," the Robot Master accepted, calmer now that she finally knew how to approach X. "He _is_ my brother, and I don't want to lose him… or to cause him trouble while he's fighting. You… you're right Alia… I'll wait here until he wins this battle."

=0=

The assembly line was poorly illuminated, which made going through the many conveyor belts and jumping over the furnaces and large containers full of molten metal far more complicated than what it would be otherwise, not to mention the Monbandos protecting the area were also a particular source of danger. These armored mechaniloids, powerful despite their lack of legs, had caused X, Zero and Vile a fair amount of trouble, since their high defense and powerful missiles made them difficult to defeat.

"Look at these small crystal orbs," X said, stopping to open a crate full of glass spheres and picking one up to better analyze it. He didn't like the green vapor inside of it, so he quickly returned it to the box, closing it with an expression of disgust. "This gas… I believe once it's processed it'll become a Nightmare Soul."

"Reason enough to destroy it," Zero stated, shoving the box into one of the open furnaces, feeling pleased that the thing was quickly consumed by the flames.

"We should also destroy these," Vile suggested. He had opened another crate and was holding now a small device about the size of an orange. "I bet these are the Nightmare Drives you asked me about, Zero."

"Yes they are," X answered, recovering the image of the drive inside Dynamo's chest from his memory files.

"Well, there's plenty of them ready to be sold if the number of boxes here is an indication," Vile said as he pointed at the rows of crates around them. "Enough to power up an army, I'd say."

"We really need to get rid of these things," Zero frowned, then he looked at the conveyor belts and the containers full of boiling, liquid metal. "If we could only throw it all into the fire… but we don't have the time!"

"We will return here after defeating Lumine," X offered. "It's the best we can do."

"Yeah, nice plan, X…" Vile said looking around him. "But you forget one little detail, we haven't found the frigging exit! Can't we just destroy a wall or something?"

"Only as a last resort, Vile," the blue hunter warned as he studied the machinery working around them. "We can't risk causing an explosion while we're in here, let's look around a bit more first. Zero, have you found anything?"

"Of course I have," Zero smiled and pointed to a door partially hidden from view by several large crates. "I think that's the way."

=0=

The door opened to a stairwell that descended into the darkness, they could see lights at the bottom, and as soon as they took a step down, the glowing optics of several Batton-Bones illuminated the room as the bat shaped robots started to slowly fly in their direction.

"No time to waste on these things," Vile growled as he selected the Burning Riot from his arsenal and used it to incinerate the cloud of bat mechalinoids.

"Not bad, Vile… and I was able to take a good look below," Zero said. "This goes down for seven levels at least."

"It'll be faster to just drop down level by level until we get to the bottom," X decided and jumped to the stairs below, then repeating the maneuver again and again, flashes of his buster indicating how he occasionally shot at new Batton-Bones as he descended.

"Seems to be safe enough," Vile said and followed X's lead.

"Yeah, leave me behind, will you?" Zero smirked and jumped straight down, passing both Vile and X, activating his thrusters to perform a quick upwards air dash just before touching ground in order to stop his momentum safely.

"Showoff," Vile accused as he and X landed next to the crimson hunter. "There are no women around for you to impress, you know?"

"Hey, Layer may be watching," Zero said with a prideful grin. "Anyway, now that we're all down here…"

"We can go forward," X completed. He had been worried when the lights at the bottom of the stairwell flickered the moment Zero touched ground as he imagined his friend had triggered a trap, but since nothing happened it seemed they were safe. Lumine, X remembered, was not as fond of traps as Sigma had been, a small favor that worked to their advantage.

"And we better," Zero nodded. "We only have 45 minutes left."

"More than enough to complete the mission, if you two don't screw things up," Vile stated as he violently kicked the door in front of them open. "C'mon, slowbots, don't make me wait for you!"

=0=

They entered a large circular room, empty except for a big metal cylinder hanging from the roof, suspended only a few inches above the ground. The next door was on the other side and, just as they walked in, it opened to reveal Lumine was already waiting for them.

The villain sauntered into the room arrogantly, offering a mocking smile to the three hunters once he was next to the mysterious container.

"You've done well," he congratulated. "But this is as far as you go; the three of you will die here."

"I don't think so," X said, rising his buster and aiming it at Lumine, starting to build a charge. "Stop the Great Winter now!"

"You heard X," Zero rejoined, igniting his Z-saber and pointing it at the insane reploid in front of them. "Do as he says."

"Unless you want us to make you?" Vile added, his shoulder cannon ready to fire.

"You are such simpletons," Lumine sighed. "And after I prepared such a nice surprise for you all…"

"What are you talking about?" X asked, his optics set on Lumine in case he was preparing a trap.

"You'll see… _now_ ," the criminal answered, pressing a button on the metal cylinder.

And as Lumine completed the sentence, the cylinder was lowered to the ground and split open, unleashing a cloud of heavy black gas that hid its contents for an instant, but as the thick vapor dissipated, X and his team saw first a tall frame, then glimpses of green and black armor, and finally an unmistakable bald head…

"No, not him!" X gasped, his buster quickly going from Lumine to the chest of his most tenacious enemy.

"It can't be…!" Zero rejoined, raising his saber in a defensive stance, gritting his teeth in rage at the image of his hated adversary.

"Sigma!" Vile completed, unable to hide the anticipation in his voice at the idea of finally fighting the fallen leader of the Maverick Hunters.

Lumine cackled as he approached the dormant battle body, resting his hand on the tall machine's arm. It was obvious the mentally unstable reploid was enjoying the surprise, fear and fury his enemies experienced, savoring it like a sweet piece of candy.

"Sigma?" The insane New Generation mocked. "Fools! He died on the Moon, I placed an inhibitor in the body I gave him. The inhibitor stopped him from escaping that battle body and it was programmed to delete his memory the moment he was destroyed. Sigma is erased, dead, gone forever!"

"Then how?" Vile exclaimed. "What kind of sick joke is this, you crazy freak?"

"Oh, I obtained a file with the schematics to build this battle body from the computers in Gate's lab. I thought it could be useful, so I took it and improved the design," Lumine explained as he grinned, taking a step back as the Sigma body suddenly activated with a burst of energy that shook the room. "Beautiful, isn't it? It has all of Sigma's battle experience up to the sixth Maverick uprising, but no real mind of its own. It's the perfect killing machine and it exists only to serve me, and he will serve me well! Sigma-MK9, destroy my enemies!"

Eyes flashing crimson and with speed that defied his frame, the Sigma-MK9 flexed his hands and produced two large battle axes he used to execute a dashing attack aimed at the three hunters, who barely had the time to evade him. The Sigma body spun mid-dash and shot a beam from the jewel on its forehead, which almost hit X.

"Without his madness hampering his skills, he will surely crush you," Lumine sentenced as the door leading further down the factory closed in front of him. "I'll be waiting in the hangar below. I'll see you there… if you survive."

=0=

Zero brought his beam saber up just in time to block the Sigma-MK9's red axe, struggling to stand his ground and not being pushed into a wall. X used this chance to unleash a charged shot on the battle body, but the Sigma-MK9 simply blocked it with the blue axe he wielded on his left hand. The fight had progressed without any of them being able to damage the battle body, as it fought with an efficiency the real Sigma had gradually lost as his insanity increased.

The two hunters, focused as they were on attacking, hadn't paid much attention to Vile, who was standing very still in a corner, staring at the three combatants and feeling small, very small as he witnessed the battle. Was it always like this when Sigma clashed with X and Zero? Such strength and power and skill! Did he really think he could ever defeat any of them? It would be impossible! They were like forces of nature clashing against each other! He was insignificant!

" _No! I am_ not _insignificant, I_ am _Vile!_ " The renegade hunter thought, fury rising inside him. " _Vile! And I am the greatest! Doctor Cain said I was a masterpiece, the finest battle model ever built! I'm as good as they are, perhaps even better!_ "

The purple armored hunter brought his fists up as determination filled his every circuit. Who cared if Sigma, X or Zero were so strong? Who cared if Lumine was powerful enough to kill them all instantly? He was Vile, and he was _not_ going to be a simple spectator! He was going to prove them all he was just as strong and capable of changing the world as they were!

His choice made, Vile armed his shoulder canon and aimed left…

…

"Lumine wasn't joking," Zero grunted as he rolled to the side and dashed to where X was, barely avoiding a kick from the Sigma-MK9. "He fights better now that he's not insane or furious at us!"

"The good thing is there's no traces of the Sigma Virus in that battle body," X said, sending another charged shot at the Sigma-MK9 to provide cover for his friend, just to see the battle body block it with both his axes. "That means we can destroy it without fearing another virus outbreak!"

"Defeating this copy is easier said than done," the crimson hunter lamented, shooting a blast from his buster aimed at the battle body's face hoping to have better luck than his partner but it was useless. His attack was also easily blocked. "Any ideas, X?"

X couldn't reply, for a loud explosion silenced him. The blue hunter, Zero and even the Sigma-MK9 turned to look left, only to find the doors to the next section of the Factory had been blasted into pieces and Vile standing there, his red eyes burning bright with determination behind his visor.

"Let me fight him!" Vile ordered. "You two go ahead!"

"As if we trusted you," Zero spat. "You're just going to betray us!"

"Shut up, you pompous pretty boy!" the renegade hunter shouted. "I'm serious, leave this to me!"

"But you can't possibly defeat this battle body alone!" X argued. "We have to fight together and…"

"I can, and I will destroy Lumine afterwards!" Vile interrupted as he shot a missile from his arm cannon at the Sigma-MK9, forcing it to dodge and finally earning his attention. "What are you two idiots waiting for? Go keep Lumine busy until I get there!"

X looked at Zero, who nodded in return. Neither trusted Vile, but given how little time they had left, this was the only chance they had to stop Lumine from launching the Great Winter.

"Fine, do your best, Vile," Zero said and dashed for the exit.

"… Good luck," X hesitantly offered as he followed the crimson hunter.

"Yeah, whatever," Vile scoffed as he moved so he was blocking the Sigma-MK9's path, stopping him from pursuing X and Zero. "Not so fast, baldy… the real fight starts now!"

=0=

"He's going to get killed," X stated as he ran besides Zero. Both of them were descending further into the factory's bowels, and could still hear the sounds of the destructive battle behind them.

"Possibly, we can't worry about that now," Zero said. "Knowing Vile, chances are he'll keep annoying us for a long time, though."

"Be careful!" the blue hunter warned, suddenly skidding to a stop. "There's a really deep drop ahead!"

"Look out!" Zero urged, pulling X back just in time to save him from getting his head chopped off by a platform that came down at incredible speed.

"Thank you," X said after taking a deep breath. "That was close."

"No problem, pal," Zero smiled. He looked down the pit and noticed the platform was rising back to their level. He waited until it was even to them to cautiously walk into it, locating a small control panel on the corner. "It's the Factory's high speed lift, I suggest we take it."

"Good idea," Mega Man X agreed. "Let's go."

=0=

Vile ducked to avoid the Sigma-MK9's red axe and then jumped high to dodge the blue one. The hunter quickly activated his antigravity chip to stay airborne for a second and used this chance to shoot a Stinkboy Capsule at the battle body, certain that some acid would be effective. He landed at the same time as the acid missile hit the replica in the chest, unleashing a corroding cloud capable of destroying metal with ease. Unfortunately for Vile, the Sigma-MK9 was invulnerable to this weapon effect and it rushed unaffected out of the acid cloud, taking the renegade hunter by surprise.

"Oh, crap!" Vile gasped just as the battle body kicked him in the torso, sending him crashing against a metal wall so hard he actually dented it.

The Sigma copy was on top of Vile in less than a second, bringing down both his axes, aiming for a quick disposal of his opponent so it could get rid of him and continue chasing the blue and red hunters that had escaped it. The axes, however, only hit the wall, destroying a large portion of it on impact. Vile had rolled under the Sigma-MK9, avoiding decapitation by very little.

" _So this asshole is immune to acid… let's see how he likes this!_ " Vile thought as he quickly combined Falcon's Thunder Striker with Mole's Magnet Barrier, obtaining the Electromagnetic Rush Bullets for his finger gun. Jumping back to gain some room, Vile shot a barrage of little shining white orbs at the Sigma duplicate, who was momentarily stunned as his arms were shaken by a fierce and continuous electric current.

"This won't help you. The damage this weapon caused is insignificant," the Sigma-MK9 said as he flexed his arms, dissipating the electromagnetic field surrounding him. "You will be retired here."

"You… can talk?" Vile asked, changing ammo and selecting the Burning Riot. "Bah, it makes no difference, I'll still crush you!"

"Of course I can speak," the battle body said. "I am Sigma, the leader of the Maverick Hunters. Therefore I must destroy reploids who regretfully go Maverick like you, X and Zero."

"What? You're insane; the only maverick here right now is you!"

"It is a pity, you three were good hunters," the tall reploid disputed with obvious regret. "But there is no other choice."

"Shut up and fight me!" the renegade hunter demanded, rushing at the Sigma-MK9. Vile was not entirely sure why the battle body was talking that way, but he suspected the duplicate was simply reliving the original Sigma's memories and if he had to guess, that meant the replica was going to go crazy very soon.

"You would betray me, Vile?" The Sigma-MK9 said as Vile approached it. Frowning, the replica moved forth and backhanded the hunter into the ground before he could do anything. "I should have known a wild card like you would be a traitor! I will not forgive such insubordination; independence from humans must be obtained no matter the cost! We've already lost Chill Penguin and the others; I can't let you stop me now!"

"So it did happen," Vile muttered as he got back to his feet, his hand over his bruised shoulder. "It went from Sigma the Maverick Hunter to Sigma the Leader of the first uprising… this sucker's brain is completely unstable!"

"How are you alive?" Sigma-MK9 asked then, violently swinging his blue axe and unleashing from it a wave of ice that Vile easily jumped over. "I didn't ask the X-Hunters to recover and reactivate your filthy remains!"

"And now he's the Sigma from the second rebellion," Vile mused, far more interested in analyzing the ice attack his opponent had just used, thinking that maybe that ice axe would be weak to his Burning Riot Missile.

"You want to fight me?" The duplicate continued. "You should not be able to do that! I ordered Doppler to infect you with my virus to guarantee your obedience!"

"Oh, joy, he's the Sigma from the Dopple Town incident," the purple armored hunter groaned as he recalled how much pain Doppler had inflicted on him. "Hurry up and decide which version of Sigma you want to be, you defective piece of junk!"

"Die!" Sigma-MK9 screamed with a swing of his red axe, sending a wall of searing fire at Vile, "die, you miserable traitor!"

"Oh, damn!" This time Vile had no time or room to dodge, as the flames covered such a wide area he could only lift his arms and take the heat. When the fire dissipated, Vile still stood but his armor was so hot it had turned a brilliant orange. The hunter cursed inwardly as his systems screamed in alarm at the external heat, which according to his readings was nearing temperature levels he could not survive.

" _This isn't good!_ " he thought, noticing his Power Core had lowered to 53% and that his subtank had boiled, becoming useless. Cursing, he selected the Tsunami Wave and combined it with the Magnet Barrier, hoping he'd get a defensive weapon and luckily, he obtained just that: the Water Defender. Vile quickly activated it, his new weapon summoning several droplets of water that started floating around him, lowering his temperature to more tolerable levels.

"Vile… you're alive? How did you enter the Final Weapon?" Sigma-MK9 asked, his fury apparently forgotten. "Did you come to assist me? No… you have your weapons aimed at me. You're here to stop me, aren't you? Well, I can't let you do that… Prepare to become space dust!"

"We're not in the Repliforce satellite, you idiot!" Vile said and shot an Ice Spear Missile aimed at the duplicate's red axe. The hunter had realized that if he was going to defeat this battle body, his best chances were to destroy his weapons first, and was hoping hitting his two axes with their opposite elements would do the trick. "We're in Lumine's Nightmare Soul Factory and you're nothing but a poorly programmed puppet!"

"Who… who is Lumine, another reploid summoned by the General?" the duplicate asked, raising his scarlet axe to block the freezing missile, only for it to crack and explode in his hand as it suffered a sudden temperature change it was not designed to resist. "Clever of you, Vile… but it doesn't matter; I'll destroy you and all who oppose me!"

"Try it!" the hunter challenged, switching to the Burning Riot and shooting a missile aimed at the Sigma-MK9's other axe. Vile got lucky a second time and struck the battle body's ice axe with his fire projectile, destroying it as easy as it had the other one. "Let's see how well you do without your toys!"

"You insolent worm, I know why you're here now!" The Sigma-MK9 shouted, his face twisting with rage. "But I won't let you interrupt my plans! Dynamo will take over Eurasia and complete his mission!"

"Oh, so you're going to be the Sigma from the fifth war, now?" Vile said as he shot a second Burning Riot at the duplicate, engulfing it in fire. "Let's see if you like being burned to a crisp, you bastard!"

"It's useless, you pathetic piece of junk!" the battle body taunted, stepping out of the flames completely undamaged. "This time the world is doomed!"

"It didn't work?" Vile groaned. "Give me a break! What does it take to hurt you?"

"You won't live long enough to find that out, Vile!" the Sigma-MK9 shouted, dashing at Vile so he could grab him by the shoulder. The duplicate squeezed hard enough to crack the hunter's armor and then punched him in the head, ending his attack by shooting two energy balls from his hands that struck Vile at point blank. "And now you're dead!"

The Sigma-MK9 turned his back on Vile, feeling certain he was dead. The duplicate prepared to go after X and Zero, convinced it would be best to stop them before they could discover what Dynamo was about to do in the Space Colony.

Except that the Sigma-MK9 couldn't move. Something had grabbed his left leg and refused to let go! Looking down, the copy found Vile still lived, and was holding his boot with shaking hands.

"What a persistent pest you are, Vile," the replica said. "I'm surprised you survived."

"I did… and I can still fight you…" the renegade hunter coughed. His Power Core was at 24% now and his finger guns and knee bomb launchers were now useless, but he couldn't give up. He simply couldn't! His mind racing as he analyzed his options, Vile concluded the only way to hurt the Sigma duplicate was to hit him with his Electromagnetic Rush Bullets; unfortunately, he couldn't use them anymore!

But maybe if he tried something else…

"I doubt it," the Sigma-MK9 announced, crouching to grab Vile by the neck, lifting him and smiling as the hunter's neck started cracking under his grip, "because I am going to rip your head off!"

"You… wish!" Vile managed as he combined the Thunder Striker with the Flash Claw, obtaining the Sparkling Cracker Rocket, which according to the data he got, was capable of generating a powerful electric pulse on detonation. "Eat this, you creep!"

Before the duplicate could react, Vile used his arm canon to shoot a spherical rocket directly to his face. The explosion not only caused the Sigma-MK9 considerable damage; the electric current it unleashed was so strong it fried several of his servomotors, incapacitating both his right arm and leg; it also destroyed several circuits in his electronic brain, driving him into a fit of insanity that he could not contain.

"How did you like that?" Vile mocked once he touched ground. The duplicate, injured severely after the attack, had released him and was now shrieking in pain.

And then the shrieking stopped, just to be replaced by a cold laughter so insane it sent chills down Vile's spine. The only time he heard Sigma got this crazy was during… the sixth Maverick Uprising!

"Bwa ha ha ha! Not yet! THE BADDLE HAZ JUSD BEGUNN!" The Sigma-MK9 cackled as he started limping towards his enemy. "DIE! Vi-Vi-Vile! JUSDIE, VILE!"

"So you finally descended to the level of a mad dog, just like the original did," Vile said, aiming his arm canon at the duplicate, preparing another Sparkling Cracker Rocket. "Well, don't worry; I'll put you down like one."

"Gwaaaaaaaa! Ghaaaaaaa! It's useless! IT IS USELESS!" The duplicate shouted. "You know it is, Vile! You can't defeat me so easily... You know you can't, Vile..."

"Go to hell," the hunter said and shot the Sparkling Cracker, hitting Sigma with another powerful electric blast.

"Naaaaaaaah! I'll destroy you... Vile you will die with me!" The Sigma-MK9 screamed in pain as his body, unable to counter the surge of electricity in his systems ignited into a ball of fire. "DIE VILE… Aaaaghaaa!"

Screaming as he exploded, the Sigma-MK9 shot one last, mighty energy blast from his mouth that struck Vile right in the middle.

=0=

When the smoke cleared, all that remained of the Sigma-MK9 was a scorched, dented metal skull that grinned up in a twisted smile. Not too far from the destroyed duplicate was Vile, facedown and barely operational. The renegade hunter had lost both legs and his shoulder canon; worse still, his helmet had split in half, revealing part of his face.

"Heh… at least Scarlet isn't here…" Vile chuckled, ignoring his systems telling him his Power Core was at only 10% and his body leaking power fluid quickly. "Would be a shame if… she sees my face… should've… paid the money to finally have… some artificial skin put on…"

Crawling to a wall so he could propel himself to a somewhat sitting position, Vile looked back at the trail of power fluid behind him and cursed. This really was worse than he had expected. Ignoring the pain, he leaned back on the wall and winced as his chest decided it was time to hurt like a devil.

"I… I guess this is possibly the best death I'll ever get…" he muttered once the pain receded to more tolerable levels. "Who would… have thought I'd die as a hunter?"

Looking down at his hands, Vile's electronic brain started summoning memories at random, until it selected the oldest one it could find…

…

 _"Good morning!" Doctor Cain said._

 _"Good morning," the newly activated machine greeted. "Please identify yourself."_

 _"My name is Cain, I helped creating you," Cain replied with an honest smile. "I designed a new Combiner System for you that will allow you to gain unlimited variations of ammo for your weapons, and I also helped design your electronic brain, you are a unique model!"_

 _"Unique?"_

 _"A masterpiece," Cain appraised. "The finest battle model ever built!"_

 _"I find that information… acceptable," the machine said with a prideful tone._

 _"Your designation number is VaVa-MK1, but we named you Vile," another scientist said then. "You were created to help with the recent Maverick attacks; I hope you are fine with the assignment."_

 _"It doesn't conflict with anything in my programming," Vile stated, "and since I'm a battle model, I see nothing wrong with stopping dangerous reploids."_

 _"Great, we'll give you some training first," Cain indicated. "And then we'll send you to work with Sigma."_

 _"Sigma?" Vile asked._

 _"He's the greatest reploid ever built!" the second scientist said."Doctor Cain devoted all his knowledge to the task; no other reploid can compare with Sigma!"_

 _"Interesting, I would very much like to meet him," Vile said, feeling confused by this information and, perhaps, a little jealous. Wasn't he supposed to be the masterpiece, the finest ever built? He would need to gather information on this Sigma soon to determine his supposed superiority._

 _"Fantastic," Doctor Cain nodded. "I'm sure Sigma will appreciate your help…"_

…

" _Vile, are you there? Vile!_ " Scarlet asked, her anguished voice dragging the wounded hunter back from his memories. " _Interference in the second section of the Nightmare Soul Factory just dropped; I can see you're hurt!_ "

"… I was hoping you wouldn't call," Vile answered, noticing his Power Core was now at 9%. "Can't a man die in peace?"

" _Don't you dare say that!_ " the redhead shouted. " _Return to HQ so we can repair you!_ "

"Why should I? This is a good death. Let me have it… I've earned it."

" _Are you out of your damned mind?_ " Scarlet yelled. " _Did spending so much time with those three idiots made you stupid?_ "

"What? Of course not," Vile argued, slightly upset by her remark.

" _Then return to base!_ " She ordered with an angry scream. " _Or… or I'll go there and kick your ass all the way back!_ "

"Fine… I'll go," Vile yielded. "If only because you're asking so… nicely."

Vile cut the link to HQ and took in a deep, painful breath. He could ignore Scarlet and stay where he was, but… where was the fun in dying like this? Sure, it would be a great death, but he knew X and Zero would surely survive this crisis and get all the praise again while he ended up being forgotten.

And if there was something Vile didn't want it was to be forgotten.

Besides, X and Zero would surely be glad if he died, wouldn't they?

"Well, I'm not… going to give you that satisfaction… X!" Vile coughed. "You and Zero… will never get rid of me so easily… so you better win this… you hear?"

And saying this, Vile finally activated his teleporter, leaving the factory and heading back to HQ for repairs.

=0=

 **Notes:**

Second part of the final stages completed.

Next chapter comes the big fight with Lumine, will X and Zero be able to stop him?


	40. Chapter 40

**Relic of the seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

-40-

Lumine groaned his displeasure at the images in his monitor. X and Zero were already on his Factory's turbolift, something they were not supposed to do so quickly, if at all. Of course, the only reason they managed to do that was because Vile had, surprisingly, decided to fight the Sigma-MK9 on his own, giving the irritating blue hunter and his annoying red armored friend the opportunity to reach him faster.

"Irrelevant in the end," he mused as he started pacing around his control room. "Perhaps the Sigma copy didn't kill them all, but that only gives me the chance to do it myself."

Standing very still as he waited for his enemies to arrive, Lumine's mind wandered back to the moment he found Isoc in Gate's secret laboratory. He had been going through the files in the main computer when Isoc's programming manifested in front of him, explaining he was trapped inside the computer and that he couldn't get out because of the electromagnetic interference in the area. Lumine had refused to help him at first, but then Isoc offered his scientific skills, sharing the plans to build things like the Mandala Q5 or the Sigma-MK9 in an effort to prove his usefulness.

" _Despite his shortcomings he was a far more useful tool than expected,_ " Lumine admitted. Grudgingly accepting Isoc's assistance had helped accelerate his plans, since the scientist had agreed to stay and work in this factory while he was busy using Axl's body to collect relevant information, recruit his eight Maverick generals and then stealing and securing the nuclear missiles. Isoc also built him this new body following all the specifications he was given, and he even helped perfecting the Nightmare Drive design.

" _But Isoc was also arrogant and a coward,_ " he decided, frowning as he recalled the moment Isoc abandoned the factory. " _Finding him and killing him later will be such a pleasure._ "

The door to his right suddenly opened, interrupting his thoughts of vengeance.

"Lumine!" X called as he and Zero dashed into the control room.

"It's over!" Zero said.

"Welcome," Lumine smirked and crossed his arms, unimpressed by the two hunters. "I imagine you are proud of yourselves, getting here fifteen minutes before the Great Winter launches… poor, deluded fools, there is no way you can stop it, my new world is right at hand!"

"You're insane," Zero retorted. "And we will stop you!"

"Evolution can't be stopped, _I_ can't be stopped! The old world you hold so dear is finished… _finished_!" Lumine declared as he rose to the air, energy glowing around him. "Ah… but I see hope still shines inside you, does it not? ...Very well, then come at me, Maverick Hunters. Come at me so I can crush your hopes and end your lives!"

=0=

"Vile just beamed to the medibay," Lifesaver announced, his face appearing in one corner of Scarlet's screen. "I thought you'd like to know that, given how many times you've asked in the last few minutes."

"Thank you, I'm going there now!" Scarlet said and turned off his terminal, relief washed over her finally knowing _her_ Vile had returned and would be repaired!

"Something happened?" Signas asked, looking up from the monitor he was watching, where Layer was showing him how the progress the bomb squads in charge of recovering the nukes from the eight areas the hunters had cleared was going.

"Vile's here!" Scarlet replied, rushing out of Control room, not bothering with asking for the Commander's permission to leave.

…

Scarlet entered the medibay just in time to see Lifesaver and three other medics carrying Vile into an Operating Room. She couldn't see much of him, other than he had lost his legs and was still leaking power fluid. Her surprise was instantly replaced by a strong concern that filled her every circuit and she rushed to his side, she had to make sure he could be fixed!

"Wait, let me in!" she demanded, pushing the doors of the Operating Room open, startling the medical team that was about to start working on the purple armored hunter.

"We need to stabilize him, please wait outside," Lifesaver said without looking back at the emotional navigator. The medic was busy connecting Vile's core to an energy recharger, and didn't want to be interrupted constantly during the important repairs that he would need to perform.

"I'm _not_ waiting outside!" Scarlet exclaimed. "I won't leave Vile alone!"

"Let her stay…" Vile said. "She won't… shut up otherwise."

"You're still conscious?" Lifesaver asked, quite surprised by how tenacious Vile was. The reploid doctor quickly decided to ignore whatever drama Vile and Scarlet had going on between them and signaled his helpers to begin working on the hunter's lower half, sealing the power fluid leak so they could refill him and start replacing his damaged servomotors.

"He says I can stay," the redhead repeated as she approached the operating table, only to stop cold the moment she actually saw Vile. His helmet was partially destroyed and exposed most of his face. What Scarlet saw made her circuits crawl; Vile's face was skinless, nothing but a mesh of artificial muscle and tendons crossed by wires that covered his metallic skull.

"Yeah… that's the reaction I… was expecting…" Vile coughed. "Are you leaving?"

"…No," she declared, her voice soft and comforting as she walked to his side to gently place her hand over his exposed forehead. "I'm staying here, Vile. I'll never leave you."

"But my face… is incomplete… no artificial skin… I never…" the hunter started.

"It doesn't matter," she reassured with a smile. "Incomplete or not, you are Vile, and I love you."

"That's… nice," he said after a moment of hesitation. "Not something I wanted to hear in front of an audience and damaged almost beyond repair… but it's… nice. I guess… I also…"

"Listen, I'm glad for you both," Lifesaver cut in then. "But I do need to put him in stasis or I won't be able to replace his legs and torso."

"You heard the doctor… Scarlet," Vile said, straining to speak now but also feeling glad for the interruption. "Let them work, I promise we'll talk… after I'm fixed."

=0=

Lumine was pushed back and hit the wall hard, his systems protesting as electricity coursed through his body in painful waves. The New Generation tyrant had been using the Magnet Barrier to protect himself from harm, but X used the Thunder Striker to destroy the force field, something Zero took advantage of to hit him with a special attack he called the Denki Tatsumaki. As a result his Power Core descended to 90% and that was not supposed to happen!

"I'm going to mangle you!" Lumine swore, switching to the Triple Bomb and using it to attack X and Zero with his enhanced version of the explosive attack.

"I think we're making him mad," Zero said while jumping back to avoid the first row of bombs.

"Lucky us his strategy is the same as the last time we fought him," X replied as he followed his friend's example, jumping to avoid the second row of explosives, "which means I can do this!"

Dashing under a new set of bombs, X quickly switched weapons and selected the Ice Slither, shooting five frost needles at Lumine, hitting him in the chest and arms. The attack was successful enough to make the mad reploid stagger back a few steps.

"That was not enough!" Lumine yelled, bringing his hands forward, unleashing a Flash Claw shot. The wave of light struck X in the shoulder, completely paralyzing him. "Now die!"

"Not while I'm here!" Zero said and dashed towards Lumine trying to buy X some time to recover. When he was right in front of his enemy, the crimson hunter activated the Fire Stinger, igniting his body in flames as he drove his saber forward, calling the name of his special technique. "Honō no ha-zashi!"

"What?" Taken by surprise and unable to block Zero's quick attack, Lumine ended up enveloped in flames, and was forced to switch to the Tsunami Wave in order to counter the fire burning him and consuming his energy. Frustrated, he activated his antigravity system and floated high to gain some space and gather his thoughts. Was this how Sigma felt when these two hunters refused to die? Possibly, he decided, but unimportant. Focusing again on Zero, Lumine selected the Thunder Striker and released a powerful electric blast against him, grinning as he saw how the red armored hunter had to twist and dash out of the way. Yes, this was how it should be, maggots like X and Zero should always flee from his power!

Lumine's contemplations were cut short by a charged shot hitting his back, dropping his energy to 75%. A quick look revealed X had recovered and was already preparing another charge!

"Damn you X!" he cursed, unleashing a barrage of electric blasts aimed at the blue hunter.

"We're definitively making him angry!" Mega Man X said as he jumped and bounced off a wall to avoid the lighting Lumine sent his way.

"Then let's piss him off even more!" Zero told him. "Double charge shot?"

"Yeah, double from each of us and at the same time," X answered. "Build your charge and get ready, we need to take him down fast!"

"Dangerous idea, X," Zero smiled as he did what his friend suggested. "But I like it, let's do it!"

"Whatever you're planning, it will be useless!" Lumine screamed, this time attacking with a modified version of the Ice Slither, throwing several icicles at the hunters. The attack was slow, but it covered a wide area, making it difficult to avoid.

X and Zero split, he going right and Zero dashing left, barely dodging the ice wall. X's systems warned him against building a charge on both his busters, but he ignored it and instead drove more power into his weapons. Zero's weapon system flashed a similar alarm but the crimson hunter likewise ignored it and continued feeding his busters with power.

Glancing at each other, both hunters nodded and quickly synchronized their movements as they closed in on their opponent. X dashed under Lumine's Fire Stinger attack, while Zero double jumped over it, effectively completing a pincer maneuver that cornered their foe.

"Take this!" X shouted, bringing forth both busters, unleashing two charged shots at point blank.

"You're finished!" Zero announced and also discharged his own charged shots from above.

"Impossible!" Lumine shouted as he was engulfed by the huge wave of energy the two hunters attacked him with.

=0=

"Did we get him?" X wondered while his optics fixed on the dissipating smoke that covered the spot where Lumine had been standing.

"Not sure…" Zero said. "I hope we did, we only have ten minutes left, and…"

The smoke cleared then, revealing Lumine was still standing. The New Generation maniac had greatly resented the attack, and it was obvious he was damaged beyond repair as his power fluid gushed from countless cracks on his armor. He straightened slowly and glared at X and Zero with red glowing eyes.

"I… I really hate you," he hissed after noticing his energy had decreased to only 2%. "You two hurt me again! _Again_! That is unacceptable!"

"Guess we didn't get him," Zero said as he reached for his beam saber. "Let's finish the job, X."

"Agreed," the blue hunter nodded, raising his buster. "It's time to end this."

"You'll do nothing!" the villain shouted, anger boiling inside him. "Don't think this is over, I will still kill you!"

Screaming in rage, Lumine expelled a surprising amount of energy that shook the ground beneath his feet. Suddenly, an orb made of red and black metal broke through the wall behind X and Zero, forcing them to dash out of the way to avoid getting hit. The sphere flew towards the white armored reploid and stopped when it was floating right above him.

"What the hell is that?" asked Zero.

"Whatever it is, I bet it's not good," X answered.

"This is the final Nightmare Drive… the Nightmare Armor!" Lumine stated, gazing up at the dark orb with a triumphant smile. Isoc had indeed built it well, and he was sure it would serve its purpose perfectly. "Loathe the moment you made me use it!"

"You won't!" Mega Man X swore, switching to the Fire Stinger and blasting the floating sphere with burning flames that did absolutely nothing, the orb remained unscratched.

"Fools! My Nightmare Armor is completely indestructible!" he cackled, staring at X and Zero with insanity filled eyes. "Taste destruction!"

Still laughing like a maniac, Lumine brought his hands up, summoning the sphere to him so he could merge with it.

=0=

"It's no use, Splash Woman," Alia said with a disappointed sigh, leaning forward and staring at her monitor. "The interference around Laguz Island and the first two levels of the Nightmare Factory is gone, but it's still too strong in the deepest part of the building, there's no way to see what's happening down there."

"I'm sure X will be alright," Splash Woman predicted, hoping her words would come true.

"Me, too," Alia agreed with a nod. "X has never failed before; he'll be back in no time."

"I hope Zero returns safely, too," Layer said then, her eyes set on her terminal. "He's usually the one who gets damaged during missions…"

"Zero won't get hurt," Alia promised. "When he and X fight together, they're unstoppable!"

Splash Woman stared at Layer and realized that if Zero could get a woman to worry so much for him and to also earn the trust and friendship of so many, then maybe he wasn't as terrible as she believed. Perhaps Doctor Wily's Last creation could be trusted not to end up like Bass did when things got really bad.

" _Maybe he really became a good person…_ " she thought, suddenly realizing she had been unfair to him, judging him only for being a Wilybot without giving him a chance. " _I'll have to apologize when he returns._ "

=0=

X and Zero could only stare in silence at the monster floating in front of them. After fusing with the Nightmare Armor, Lumine had transformed into a truly demonic form; his head earned two large horns, he grew a pair of wings worthy of a dragon, his hands became horrible claws and his armor had gone from pristine white to a sinister and spike covered black and red monstrosity adorned with a shining green jewel in the chest. The worst of this transformation, however, was the potent energy the hunters could feel emerging from their enemy.

"This goes beyond anything I've seen before," X admitted, frowning as he tried to think of a safe way to defeat the demon in front of them. "Sigma never had this much power!"

"We'll figure something out," Zero said, clutching his saber. "But yeah, it won't be easy."

"This… this is incredible!" Lumine exclaimed as he looked at himself, relishing on the strength he had just acquired. "It's much better than what even I imagined… I have no limits now… I can rule all… I am a king… no, more than a king, an _Emperor_!"

Lumine's monologue was interrupted by a charged shot impacting against his energy shield. The powerful plasma shot was absorbed without causing any damage, but it did manage to capture his attention.

"The emperor of madness," X said, his buster still aimed at the evil maniac in front of him.

"Madness?" Lumine asked, gently floating towards the blue hunter. "Poor X, unable to understand the glory in front of him, he brands it madness."

"From where we stand it's quite clear you're insane," Zero rejoined. "And we will stop you!"

"Stop me? Fools, you are no longer my equal," he disputed with a laugh. "I am more than any reploid before me, more than humans, more than life... I am a _God_!"

Deciding the time to end his enemies had come, Lumine flew high, selected the Fire Stinger and brought his hands forth, unleashing a rain of fire that transformed the control room into a burning inferno.

=0=

"He almost incinerated us!" Zero said while clinging to the wall, waiting for the fire below him and X to die, something easier said than done, for Lumine was shooting lightning at them, forcing them to go up and down the wall.

"Don't get distracted," X warned, switching from the Flash Claw to the Acid Bubble, hoping this weapon would actually work, because so far nothing in his arsenal had. Lumine's energy shield was just too strong!

"We have nothing that can get through that shield of his," the crimson hunter lamented as he shot at Lumine to offer X some cover.

"Maybe this will!" the blue hunter said jumping at the monster and shooting several Acid Bubbles at him. The acid, however, evaporated the moment it touched the energy shield. And that was the last weapon X hadn't tried!

"Pitiful!" Lumine chortled as he retaliated with a blast of ice that sent X crashing violently into the ground.

"Hey, he's my friend!" Zero shouted. "You'll pay for that, you creep!"

The red armored hunter double jumped to go above the maverick and brought his Z-Saber down; hoping that attacking at close range would be the key to penetrate his shield. Unfortunately, the beam saber bounced harmlessly over the energy field, leaving Zero open and unguarded.

"Idiot!" the monster laughed, taking the opportunity to blast Zero with electricity, sending him spinning down, where he crashed next to Mega Man X.

"That really hurt…" Zero groaned as he got back up. "I'm at 60% now, what about you, X?"

"45%, but I'm ok," X said not looking at Zero, his attention set on the energy field. Was it completely invulnerable as Lumine claimed? He didn't believe it. That shield had to have a weakness somewhere!

And then, as the black and red Demon swooped towards them, X finally saw it: a thin, almost invisible tendril of energy emerging from the green jewel in Lumine's chest. That was what generated the Energy Shield!

"I can see your weak spot!" X whispered and reviewed his arsenal. He had used all the 8 weapons from the defeated Mavericks without damaging the shield, but… Splash Woman's Laser Trident! He knew the weapon was capable of penetrating everything but… would it work now?

Well, there was only one way to find out.

"Cover me," X said as his armor changed colors to a combination of light blue and yellow. "I think I can destroy his shield!"

"I'll do my best," Zero promised.

Both hunters dashed in opposite directions, dodging the incoming dive attack. Zero quickly jumped back and released a charged shot that bounced off the energy shield. It didn't matter, Zero wanted to distract Lumine so that X could get in position.

"If you are so eager to die, Zero, I'll be happy to comply!" The Demon stated, going up and then turning in midair so that he could disembowel the crimson hunter with his claws.

"Not so fast!" X shouted while dashing in front of Zero and shooting a laser beam in the form of a trident aimed at Lumine's chest.

Then the impossible happened.

The Laser Trident clashed with the energy shield and, for an instant, it seemed as if it would be absorbed but then it went through, hitting its target!

"It… it can't be!" he yelled in rage, looking down and seeing the gem that projected his force field had cracked, opening a hole in his defenses. "It just can't be!"

"Hit him with all you have!" X urged while switching from the Laser Trident to the Ice Slither, shooting a barrage of ice needles at Lumine, several of them going through the hole in his shield.

"What? No!" the villain shouted. The Ice Slither had frozen part of his left arm, and it was starting to sap his power. "No, I can't believe this!"

"Believe it!" Zero said then, rushing at his enemy and double jumping towards him. Taking careful aim, the hunter ignited in flames and brought his Z-Saber down, screaming: "Honō no ha-zashi!"

This time the flaming Z-Saber went through the weakened shield, cutting through it with a descending slash that struck the gem in the monster's chest…

=0=

"You… you cursed pests!" Lumine howled. He had dropped to one knee and kept his hand over his chest. Zero's burning attack had destroyed his energy shield projector, leaving him somewhat vulnerable and in pain. "I won't forgive you!"

"As if we cared!" Zero spat, rushing at the Demon and trying to cut him with his beam saber, but the light sword bounced off one of the villain's wings.

"I still have these," He gloated, hiding behind his wings. "And they're indestructible!"

"Nothing is indestructible!" X argued, selecting the Thunder Striker and shooting it, only this time he was not so lucky, for his attack was absorbed by his enemy's left wing.

"It's time for you to die!" Lumine declared while taking to the air, his body glowing with the sick, green power of the Nightmare Souls. "Face my most powerful attack… Nightmare Extinction!"

And saying this, the Demon spread his wings open, unleashing a wave of energy so massive it covered the entire room, leaving no place for the hunter duo to hide…

=0=

"…X?" Zero called, trying to get back up. The hunter was struggling just to stay conscious; his energy was only at 5% and every circuit inside him was screaming in pain. If it weren't for his systems using the subtank he carried automatically, he would have died when Lumine hit them with that Nightmare Extinction attack. His Z-Saber wasn't so lucky, however, as it had been destroyed by the blast.

But where was X?

"This has gone on for long enough!" Mega Man X shouted. Zero looked up and noticed that his friend was already standing, and that his armor had changed colors, turning white and a lighter shade of blue.

" _How… how is he standing, and what happened to his armor?_ " Zero wondered, making a reading on X and noticing he was at just 3%. Well, the crimson hunter was not going to let X show him up, so he called for all his remaining strength and managed to walk to where his friend stood.

Lumine was still flying above them, clearly enjoying seeing them in pain.

"He's right, it's time we end this," Zero announced as he summoned his electric Halberd.

"I'm going to need a few seconds to complete a charge," X whispered at Zero. "He'll defend his front with his wings, but not his back, can you stab him there?"

"I think so…" Zero muttered in response. "Double team him again?"

"It's our only option," the blue hunter nodded. "I hope it works, because I can barely stand."

"Same here," Zero admitted. "Let's do it, then."

"What are you pathetic maggots planning?" The monster mocked, returning to the ground. "Are you going to beg for mercy? You won't have it, I'm going to execute you!"

"In your dreams!" Zero answered, dashing to the right and then forward, bringing his halberd down, forcing his adversary to once again block with his wings. This was just what Zero wanted, as he used this chance to slide and crouch behind the Demon, waiting for X's signal.

Meanwhile, X also dashed at Lumine, who was turning to face Zero, but the blue hunter was on top of him before he could. Placing his buster right on the evil megalomaniac's chest, X prepared to shoot a fully charged Laser Trident.

"Now, Zero!" Mega Man X shouted, releasing a long energy trident that shined like a small sun. The charged Laser Trident was made of piercing solid light and it penetrated Lumine's armor with ease, destroying his core and main circuit boards, emerging between his shoulder blades.

"Ok!" Zero said, bringing his weapon up, impaling the Demon from the low back in an upwards motion. The Electric Halberd easily severed connectors and servomotors, generating massive amounts of damage.

"This… is… unfair…" Lumine coughed, power fluid leaking from between his lips as he looked down at himself with tears of frustration wetting his eyes. "Why…? Why don't you… let me… bring in… the… new… world…? I was… so…"

But Lumine could say nothing more, his body exploded in a blast of blinding light.

=0=

"I think now we got him," Zero said, his right hand over his bruised left shoulder.

"Yeah, I think so, too," X agreed, covering a dent in his torso. He had already deactivated the Apollo Chip, and his armor was back to his standard blue shade. Just like Zero, X had also used his subtank to survive Lumine's Nightmare Extinction attack, and he really hoped they could find some energy around soon, after they completed the mission. "Let's go to the next room to deactivate the Great Winter, we only have three minutes left."

"Y-you w-won't d-d-do t-that!" Lumine's voice stammered from somewhere.

"What the…?" Zero exclaimed, looking back to see an amorphous white blob had leaked out of Lumine's remains.

"His true form," X remembered. "Just like on the moon. But listen to him, he's malfunctioning."

"I w-will p-possess your b-body, X-X!" the thing swore, taking the form of a tentacle that launched itself at the blue hunter. "W-with y-your body-body my e-evolution w-will be co-complete!"

"I think not," X stated and switched to the Fire Stinger, blasting the approaching white mass with powerful flames. "Good bye, Lumine."

"Burn in hell," Zero said and did the same thing as X, releasing a wave of fire from his Z-buster, helping Mega Man X destroy the tenacious New Generation reploid.

Shrieking desperately as he was incinerated Lumine, the one who claimed would be the Emperor of the New World, was finally destroyed, cremated in a ball of fire until there was nothing left of him.

=0=

"My systems can't detect anything," X said. "It seems we finally destroyed him."

"I can't detect him either," Zero agreed. "Good. That bastard just wouldn't die!"

"We can talk about that later, let's go stop the missile!" The blue hunter urged, dashing to the next room.

Zero followed X, sparing one last look at where Lumine had burned to cinders, thinking he would still be there. Seeing nothing, the crimson hunter closed the door behind him, only to see X was already working on the control panel. The monitor in front of him showed the gigantic nuke was already on the final countdown.

"Can you shut it down?"

"Yes, I think so…" X said, pressing a series of commands on the keyboard and then a large yellow button to his right. "Done!"

Both hunters looked up, smiling in triumph as they saw the countdown had stopped at 00:04. The Great Winter would not launch.

"You did it, pal!" Zero grinned, raising his fist at X. "Congratulations!"

"To both of us!" Mega Man X exclaimed, fist bumping Zero. "We saved everyone!"

=0=

They walked together, the Nightmare Factory behind them as they approached the cliff that overlooked the ocean, and once there, the two friends simply stood in silence, observing the magnificence of the sea, enjoying the sound of the waves and the fresh wind raising from below, where the waves endlessly collided with the ancient rock.

"I wonder…" X started and then took in a deep breath. "I wonder if the battles will ever end. What if another monster like Sigma or Lumine attacks tomorrow, or next week, or…?"

"If that happens we'll stop him, X," Zero reassured. "That's what we Maverick Hunters do, right? We protect everyone."

X took a moment to consider his response and then nodded.

"Yes, you're right," he agreed. "We will protect everyone, and someday I'll help build a world where nobody has to fight anymore."

"I'm sure you will," Zero smiled. "If there's anyone capable of achieving that dream, then that person is you."

"Thank you," The blue hunter said. He was about to say something else, but three voices interrupted him before he could.

"X!"

"Zero!"

"Mega Man X!"

"Alia is here," Zero announced, looking back at the factory, seeing Alia and Splash Woman rushing in their direction. "And your sister, too."

"Yeah, and they brought your girlfriend with them," X chuckled, noticing Layer had come too.

"I keep forgetting you have a sense of humor, you should use it more often," Zero snickered. "Oh well, let's go meet the ladies, shall we?"

=0=

 **Notes:**

Second arc completed!

But there's still more story to tell, so make sure to be here for the next chapter!

Also, I created a blog where I uploaded an illustration I made based on the Sigma-MK9 versus Vile fight, if you want to check it out, the link is in my profile.


	41. Chapter 41

-41-

Douglas stretched on his seat and yawned, he had been working overtime giving maintenance and repairing X's Glide and Gaea armors, and he finally finished the task the night before. He was actually proud of himself, as he managed to complete the job without Alia's help. The mechanic grinned and reached for his cup of coffee and enjoyed the smell of the hot beverage. He had gone to grab something to drink to HQ's mess hall, something he usually did on quiet mornings such as that one.

"Mind if I join you?"

"Of course not, be my guest, Lifesaver," the mechanic invited. "You hardly ever come to the mess, it's weird seeing you here."

"Yes, well…. I simply have nothing better to do," the medic answered, setting his own cup on the table. "All members of the elite team are at 100% right now and nobody needs repairs, so I thought I'd get something to drink."

"Yeah… I heard Axl and Vile were hurt real badly," Douglas said, ignoring how oblivious Lifesaver was to the way his words could sound to someone who didn't know him better.

"They both almost died," Lifesaver provided. "Vile was difficult to repair because of how extensive the damage he suffered was, and Axl required a new Power Core; I'm glad Doctor Cossack was here at the time, because Axl's inner systems are not something I can fix myself."

"Well, it's a good thing Axl's fine now." Douglas said. "And Doctor Cossack's back in Russia, right?"

"Yes, he is. Axl and Pallette went with him, by the way."

"That explains why I haven't seen them since yesterday," the mechanic nodded. "Then again, I spent most of my time fixing X's armors, so I wouldn't know."

"He is always pleased with your work, so congratulations," the doctor said. "It must be difficult to fix those armors; I've seen them a few times, they are as complex as X is."

"Yeah, no kidding," Douglas sighed. "The Glide Armor was a real pain; the acid damage was quite extensive on that one."

"Have you seen Zero?" Lifesaver asked after a moment of silence. "We had to give him minor repairs but he left as soon as we finished them. I do need to ask him something."

"I saw him earlier this morning," the mechanic said. "He and Layer borrowed Ride Chasers, said they were going somewhere for a couple of days."

"Do you know where they went?"

"Sorry, they didn't say," Douglas answered and then finished his coffee. "Is Vile still here? Rumor has it Signas offered him a job."

"Unfortunately, Commander Signas did offer him and Scarlet a position as hunter and navigator in the elite team," Lifesaver lamented. "But Vile isn't here at the moment, as far as I know he went somewhere to get the rest of his gear. I'm not looking forward to having him here full time."

"I think they'll behave as long as X and Zero are around," Douglas said. "Besides, they did help defeat Lumine, didn't they? It can't be that bad."

"I suppose so," the doctor nodded and went silent, meditating about the current happenings in HQ, trying to be as optimistic as his friend.

"Say, Lifesaver…" Douglas called. "Is it safe to mix energen fluid and coffee? I've been wondering for a while and…"

"What?" The doctor frowned, alarmed at the idea. "No. And don't even think of it."

=0=

The Cossack mansion was the biggest and most luxurious place Axl had ever visited, and he was having trouble assimilating the fact that he could live here if he wanted, given his recently acquired status as the owner's oldest 'son'. Pallette, who walked besides him as they became familiar with the house, was having none of those problems. She in fact was still quite excited to spend a few days in the manor.

"You're too nervous, Axl, relax… he's not going to hurt you," Pallette encouraged, giving her boyfriend a quick hug once they reached the main hall. "You look like you're going to fall apart!"

"What if he doesn't like me?" the young hunter asked. "I mean, he's human!"

"Of course he'll like you," Nina Cossack said then, looking back from the door, where she was obviously waiting for someone. "Try to calm down, Viktor is already here."

The door opened then, and Viktor Cossack entered the house, followed by a boy of around ten who greatly resembled his father. The child carried a backpack, obviously just coming home from school, and stopped the moment his eyes landed on Axl.

"D-dad…" Mikhail Cossack stuttered, too excited of meeting one of the elite Hunters in person. "Is this the surprise you mentioned? I mean… he's Axl! He's an A rated Maverick Hunter, he was on the news the other day!"

"Yes, he is. Axl is going to be staying here for a few days," Viktor smiled, then placed his hand over his son's shoulder. "I created Axl a few years ago; do you know what that means?"

Mikhail looked from his father to Axl and then to his father again.

"Is… is he like… my brother?"

Viktor replied with a smile and a nod.

"Ah… hello?" Axl tried, crouching a little and offering his hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"Wow… my brother is a Maverick Hunter!" the boy shouted and ran to Axl so he could shake his hand and bombard him with questions. "What's fighting Lumine like? Are you really friends with X and Zero? Have you been to space? Can I see your schematics? I'm building a robot, can you help me? Do you want to play some videogames? I have Monster Hunter Neo IX, do you like that one? Hey, let me show you my room so we can talk there!"

"Sure, we can go and do those things, but…" Axl, who was being dragged by the little boy towards the stairs, looked back at Viktor, Nina and Pallette. They were all smiling and apparently holding back a chuckle.

"Go with your brother," Viktor encouraged. "Have a good time, we'll see you later."

"Alright!" Axl beamed at the child. "Lead the way, Mikhail, let's see your room!"

=0=

Vile entered his chambers and spent a few moments looking around. He was back in his base, there to make sure everything was as he left it and selecting some gear he wanted to take back to the Hunter's base.

"Working as a Maverick Hunter again…" Vile muttered as he examined some ammunition. "Then again, it is clear those fools need me in their elite team… after all, Axl is just a stupid rookie, X is still a bleeding heart softie and Zero is an overconfident dimwit. They need a calculating and capable soldier on the field, and I'm the only one around who fits that description."

Convinced he was doing the Hunters a favor and knowing he was alone at the moment; Vile removed his helmet and walked to an old mirror so he could study his reflection, deciding again that he didn't particularly like his new face. Who gave Lifesaver permission to graft artificial skin over his head, anyway? That excuse he offered him about just having some lying around and that it would be a shame not to use it was stupid. Or at least that's what Vile believed.

"Damn it, I look odd," he growled. He never thought he would be this young. "I look only a few years older than X or Zero… what was Lifesaver thinking?"

"So here you are," Scarlet said, entering the room and going to stand next to him. "Nice eyes."

"My freaking irises are indigo," Vile said flatly. "I liked them better before."

"They were red orbs before, Vile," she rebuked. "They look better now."

"And I have stupid gray hair."

"It is _dark_ gray, and it goes well with your skin tone."

"It's the same skin tone as X's," he observed with a frown. "I'll have to keep my helmet on."

"Oh, who cares? You're still you, only more handsome now," Scarlet told him, leaning on his side and pressing her body against his in a way that made it quite clear what she desired. She then brought her hand up to caress his chest. "We haven't linked in a long, long time, you know. And your new face is kinda making me want it."

"Two weeks is a long, long time?" Vile grinned, forgetting about his face as he moved his hands possessively to her hips. "What a naughty girl you are."

"And what are you going to do about it?" she taunted with a husky voice.

"Naughty girls need discipline," he breathed on her neck. "Lots of it."

"Here?"

"Of course here, we're ditching this place to stay at the Maverick Hunters HQ for a while," he said as he pulled her closer, "might as well give it a proper farewell…"

"I think I would like that," she smiled seductively. "I would like that a lot."

=0=

The abandoned ruins of the Repliforce Spaceport covered a considerable area, and after the end of the coup the High Command had considered using the construction as a new space research center, but the continuous construction of Space Colonies and bureaucratic entanglements assured that the old spaceport ended up deserted and slowly decaying. There were patrols assigned to watch over it to prevent theft and vandalism, but they were hardly necessary, because nobody truly ever came here.

Nobody, that is, but Zero.

Over the years, the crimson hunter became the only one who ever visited the spaceport, earning the friendship of the reploid soldiers in charge of guarding the place. It had been one of those guards who agreed to open the gates for Zero, granting him access to the neglected building.

" _Is this a good idea?_ " Zero thought as he walked through the dark corridors, heading to the deepest parts of the Spaceport. " _Layer is waiting for me in the next city; I should just go to her… I don't need to be here and remember, but… no, I really need to do this._ "

And perhaps, Zero decided, he also needed to remember. Perhaps he _wanted_ to remember the disastrous events from the fourth Maverick uprising before doing what he came here for. Or maybe he was just a big idiot.

Plagued by these thoughts, the crimson hunter walked out of the main building and crossed through the launch pad until he reached a tall platform. He stopped in front of it, observed the rusty beams and bolts and decided the structure was by now so neglected it would be only a year or two before it finally collapsed; Zero, unaware that someone else had followed him into the spaceport and was silently watching him, started climbing the stairs.

" _This is where the Colonel and I fought,_ " he remembered once he arrived to the very top. " _If only sigma hadn't manipulated Repliforce…_ "

He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. Thinking about his fight with the Colonel invariably brought back memories of Iris. Looking up at the cloudy sky, he could not help remembering the moment she fused with her brother's core and the tragic battle that followed.

The crimson hunter leaned on the rail and took in a deep breath, wondering again if having a normal life was something he deserved after what he did. The only positive of coming here that he could so far identify was that the crippling guilt he used to feel was mostly gone, now replaced with a deep sorrow.

"It changes little," he muttered, his eyes closed as he wondered if he could ever feel any sort of happiness. "Because my past remains the same, I'm still the one who…"

His words died the moment he felt someone embrace him from behind.

"You can't change the past," a woman told him. "But you can accept it and learn from it."

"It's not so easy," he lamented, keeping his eyes low, not turning to meet Layer. "What I did here…"

"The casualties during the Repliforce coup were not your fault," she assured him, hugging him tighter, stopping him from moving away from her. "Sigma is to blame, and you and X made him pay for it. The deaths caused by his treachery have been avenged."

"I know that," Zero said, letting Layer's embrace give him the warmth he needed to push the grief down. "But it doesn't make it any easier. Iris and Colonel didn't deserve what happened."

"Nobody did," she said. "Please, stop blaming yourself, Zero…"

"I don't, not anymore," he told her, turning and pulling her close. "Thanks to you, I don't. There is still the sadness, Layer, that hasn't gone away."

"It will in time," she promised. "I'll help you."

"Thank you," Zero made a pause, and then reached up to touch her chin so she would look up at him. "How did you find me?"

"I teleported where your signal was," she said. "You were late and I worried; I simply…"

"Tracked my signal and beamed here," he completed. "You're a navigator even on your day off, huh?"

"It's a habit," she answered, enjoying the feeling of his hand cradling her face. "Zero… why did you come here, if visiting this place is so painful for you… why?"

"I had to do something," Zero said and pointed at the launch pad and the rest of the spaceport around them.

"Can I ask what it was?"

"I came to say good bye to them," he told her. "Because I think… I think I can finally do that."

=0=

To anyone watching, Splash Woman was nothing more than a pretty young woman in a cute, if slightly out of fashion white sundress walking around downtown in the company of the renowned Maverick Hunter X and the senior Navigator Alia, thus giving bystanders the impression she was a big celebrity or the daughter of a powerful dignitary, perhaps a member of the High Command.

"I still have trouble believing you can do that," Alia observed. She walked to the right of Mega Man X, and was glancing at the Robot Master in awe. "I mean, that you have a land mode is already amazing enough, but… but you aren't wearing any armor, and with that dress you're wearing… you look almost fully human, how?"

"It's thanks to Doctor Light's transformation system," she said and then proceeded to explain further. "Not all Lightbots had it, only some of the ones closer to human form. It allows us to cloak our armor and turn some of it into functional clothes. Rock, Roll and Blues had it, and both Elec Man and Tornado Man got it after they requested it. This is actually the first time I've used it like this… I wasn't sure it would be possible for me."

"Incredible," X said, smiling as he wondered how this system worked. "Father was very clever."

"When did you get it?" the navigator asked, her curiosity not yet sated.

"When I was upgraded with my land mode," the mermaid answered. "Before Doctor Wily's tenth Robot Rebellion. Doctor Light wanted to see if it was possible to improve my mobility by giving me the capacity to walk on land, and figured I'd need to look more human."

"Can you do that, X?" Alia said, looking at the blue armored hunter with obvious interest.

"I don't think so," he answered with a sigh. "I can't even remove my helmet."

"What do you mean you can't remove it?" Splash Woman laughed. "I know for a fact you can."

"Really?" X blinked in surprise. "I can?"

"You've never tried?" the mermaid asked, hands on her hips as she leaned towards her younger brother. "Why haven't you?"

"I _have_ tried," X said defensively, remembering he felt a bit jealous that Zero could take off his helmet while he couldn't. "I just can't, it's probably stuck or something."

"Oh, really?" the mermaid asked as she approached X with a mischievous smile.

"What are you going to do?" he asked, feeling a little nervous by the way his sister grinned at him.

"Nothing bad, just hold still for a bit…" Splash Woman smiled and then reached for his helmet, spending a couple of seconds feeling around the lower edges and then…

"Stuck, huh?" She chuckled as she removed his helmet and then showed it to him, pointing at two small buttons on the lower end of it. "You just had to press these, X."

"Well, I didn't know that… wait… am I… bald?" X asked, bringing his hands up to touch his head, hoping he wouldn't feel a smooth metal dome covering his electronic brain. "I… I have hair!"

"Of course you do, don't be silly," the mermaid said. "And he looks quite good without the helmet, wouldn't you agree Alia?"

"Huh?" Alia, who was busy staring at X, thinking how handsome he looked now with his unruly black hair finally free, had to blink a couple of times before answering the question. "Yes… he looks… he looks good. You look _very_ good, X."

"Yeah, fetching, even," Splash Woman appraised as she returned the helmet. "We can try later to see if you can change your armor into clothes like I did."

"I don't think I can but ok," X agreed with a smile, his hand still over his hair. "Thank you… sister."

"Don't mention it, that's what older siblings are for," the mermaid said. "Now, weren't you two taking me to the City's Aquarium? I really want to see it!"

…

 _Later…_

X, carrying two blue cans marked with an E, walked to where Splash Woman waited. They had finished visiting the Aquarium a while ago, and having nothing else to do, X decided to take his sister to see the old city square thinking that she may be interested in seeing it.

"Where is Alia?" Splash Woman asked as she accepted the Energen Can, making a pause so she could drink a sip from it, finding the taste was better than she expected. "Wasn't she with you?"

"Signas called her," X said. "There's some urgent paperwork she needs to complete today."

"I see," she sighed. "Oh well, I hope she finishes it soon."

"She will," X assured, "Alia's very fast when it comes to those things."

The siblings walked in silence for a while, Splash Woman following X's lead. She looked at X discreetly and wondered what Blues would say if he could see the youngest Lightbot. He would probably try to remain stoic and say something deep, she believed.

"Say, would you like me to find you a place to stay?" X asked when they arrived to the old city square. "I imagine you don't want to spend the night at HQ, I could rent you an apartment, or…"

"It won't be necessary," the Robot Master answered. "I'm leaving today."

"You're _what_?" the blue hunter gasped in surprise.

"Doctor Cossack offered me a job supervising the mechaniloids that monitor the city's canals, I accepted," she explained. "I'll be living in Saint Petersburg from now on. Nina Cossack said there was a room ready for me in their lab."

"…You don't have to! I can take care of you and…"

"X, I know you can take care of me, but I need a function of my own to feel productive," she refuted with a soft smile. "Unlike you reploids, we Robot Masters do need a purpose; it's a part of our programming. I can't just stay here and do nothing."

"I understand that but…" he made a pause, discovering he really didn't want his sister to leave. "I mean… how are we supposed to talk about the past?"

"You can visit me anytime you want," she reminded him. "And I can tell you about the past; it will be a very long talk, however. Perhaps it is best if we have that conversation once you and the other hunters finish cleaning up Lumine's disaster. Go see me when that's done, I'll answer all your questions then."

Finding that Splash Woman's reasoning made sense, X simply nodded and sighed loudly.

"Oh, don't be sad," the mermaid said walking up to him so she could give him a quick hug. "You can teleport to Saint Petersburg everyday if you want to, I'll always be happy to see you."

"You will?"

"Of course, we're siblings aren't we?" she reminded him poking at his chest with her right index finger for emphasis. "So cheer up, blue boy."

X couldn't hold back a good humored chuckle at the name she used, wondering if that's how she used to call the original Mega Man.

"I have to go now. You know… I'm really glad you're my brother, X," she said, her voice singing kindly. "Please visit soon, ok?"

With a wave of her hand, Splash Woman offered him a final smile and teleported away in a flash of white, leaving X standing there alone. Normally X would start feeling sad or melancholic, but this time he simply smiled, happier than he had been in months. He had a sister, he was not alone anymore, no longer the last Lightbot, and could there be anything better than that?

X didn't think so.

=0=

 **Notes:**

A new arc starts in this chapter, this one is fairly short, so it should be completed quickly; I hope you enjoy it.


	42. Chapter 42

-42-

Splash Woman picked up a mechaniloid fish from the bottom of the canal she was currently traversing and interfaced with it to ask why it was not working. The little mechanical fish replied by sending a status report and a request for assistance. The mermaid nodded and proceeded to study the report, finding that the router in charge of sending energy from the power core to the little fish's caudal fin was loose; a simple enough repair, one that she could easily perform on the spot. She sent the little robot a message asking it to shut down while she worked. The fish did as it was told, and Splash Woman had the repairs complete in less than five minutes.

"Alright, you're fixed," she told the robot fish once it reactivated. "You can go, but make sure you visit your station later for a recharge and proper maintenance, ok?"

The mechanical fish transmitted a message to Splash Woman, conveying how thankful it was and happily swam away.

The mermaid smiled as she saw the little robot swim away. After two weeks working for Viktor Cossack, she had come to enjoy the task of helping keep the canals clean and the waters pristine, as it gave her a useful purpose, something that was very important for her. Feeling happy and pleased, Splash Woman followed an impulse and with a wide sweep of her tail she propelled herself up, quickly reaching the surface and emerging with a vertical spin, a graceful maneuver seldom seen amongst aquatic reploids, which were hardly ever built with elegance of movement in mind. She heard some applause and expressions of admiration behind her, and a quick look revealed to her the people who were crossing the bridge that went above the canal were being really appreciative of her skillful display.

"I told you she was around here," a young looking male reploid said. "Isn't she amazing?"

"Yes, she is," a teenaged female reploid replied. "She's very pretty, too!"

"She makes walking along the canal a better experience," and old man said while leaning on his cane with one hand and waving at the mermaid with the other. "And she's such a polite lady, too."

A little flustered by the praise, Splash Woman could only smile nervously and shyly wave back at the crowd. She often forgot the people of Saint Petersburg, particularly those who worked or walked along the many canals had taken a liking to her over the last few days. It didn't bother her, but sometimes the attention was more than she could handle.

"Ah…thank you," she said with a polite smile. "I… I hope you are all fine today, until next time!"

And saying nothing more, she went underwater and swam to the next canal in her route, which was the one closest to Cossack Manor.

=0=

"Are you sure Splash Woman will be there?" Alia asked after she and X beamed down in Saint Petersburg, landing in one of the parks near the more exclusive and expensive parts of the city.

"Yes, she sent me her schedule yesterday," X answered, glad his sister had recently gotten those upgrades from the Light Capsule that allowed her to connect with and communicate using current technology. "I'm positive she'll be at the canal near Cossack Manor at this time."

"I'm surprised you invited me," Alia admitted. "I didn't' think you would."

"Why wouldn't I? Splash Woman is your friend too, and we can go see Doctor Cossack after we talk with my sister," X explained. "We need to start discussing that expedition to the Cossack Citadel, and I want you to be part of it."

"You do?" Alia smiled discreetly at this, and she hoped she wasn't blushing. "I'll do my best to help you then."

"Thank you, Alia. I'm glad you'll be with us," X told her with a smile. "Let's go shall we? We still need to walk a few blocks."

=0=

They found Splash Woman sitting on the edge of the canal, humming a song for her own amusement while playfully stirring the passing waters with her caudal fin. It was evident the mermaid was in a good mood, and that in turn brightened X's own. Alia noticed this, but since she knew they saw each other as siblings now, the apprehension she used to experience whenever X and Splash Woman met had vanished, allowing her to fully appreciate the marine Robot Master as a friend.

"Hello, little brother!" Splash Woman greeted with a wink, turning to meet X before he had the chance to do it. "And hello to you as well, Alia."

"You knew we were coming?" The navigator asked, wondering how the Robot Master discovered they were near.

"Yes, the mechaniloid fish told me," the mermaid explained. "And I identified you two with my RMC Field, too."

"You're full of surprises," Alia said with a soft smile. "We reploids can communicate directly with all mechaniloids individually, so we don't have anything like your RMC field. I'm starting to think it would be useful."

"I have it," X rejoined. "Actually, I can do both things; I just never use the RMC Field because it has a limited range."

"Anyway, why don't you both sit here with me? It's not so cold, the sun feels great and the water's just perfect at this time," Splash Woman invited. "We can talk and then we can do other things if you want."

"I was thinking we could go visit the Cossacks," X said as he sat next to his sister, pointing at the large mansion that could be seen a few blocks away.

"And we would like you to come with us," Alia added, sitting besides X. "From what I'm told you have some information Viktor can't wait to hear."

"Oh, so we're finally going to the Cossack Citadel?" Splash Woman grinned. "Great, I've been waiting for that, too!"

"It will be…" started X, but whatever he was going to say was interrupted by a loud blast coming from Cossack Manor.

"Oh, no, look!" The mermaid gasped as she stared at the mansion and saw black smoke rising from one of the windows on the east side, followed by two beams of light that vanished into the sky.

"Nina!" Alia cried, immediately jumping to her feet and reaching up to her headpiece to call her sister. "Nina, are you alright? Can you hear me?"

" _… Alia… this is horrible!_ " Nina answered, her anguished voice shaking with fear. " _Please help me! Viktor's been hurt and they… they took Mikhail!_ "

"I'll be there right away, wait for me!" Alia promised and cut communication.

"Did you hear, X?" Alia asked, looking at the blue hunter with pleading eyes. "My nephew…!"

"I heard everything," he told her, placing his hand on her shoulder to offer her some comfort. "I'll help you."

"And I'll help too," Splash Woman offered. "Let's go!"

=0=

Notes:

Mikhail Cossack has been kidnapped. Can you guess who did it?

Well, the identity of the kidnapper (or kidnappers?) will be revealed next episode, as well as a few other surprises.

See you next chapter.


	43. Chapter 43

-43-

The first thing Alia did when she, X and Splash Woman arrived to Cossack Manor was to ask the terrified maids where her sister was. They directed her to the studio, and the afflicted navigator dashed there as fast as she could. X sent Splash Woman after Alia, since he had to ask some questions to the mansion's staff first.

"Did you call an ambulance?" X asked a mortified butler.

"Yes, of course, and also the police," the steward answered, his voice full of honest concern. "This was a horrible crime, Captain X, nothing like this had happened to the Cossack family in generations, not since lady Kalinka was kidnapped by…!"

"I know the story," X said, then quickly added. "Do you know who did it?"

"No, I'm afraid not," the man said. "As far as we know the kidnappers teleported directly to the master's studio, we didn't have any visitors scheduled today."

X nodded and headed for the studio, where the Cossacks still were. For a moment he considered calling HQ, but this wasn't Maverick Hunter business yet, so he couldn't ask Signas for any sort of official help until it was declared the culprit was a maverick. There was someone else in HQ he did need to call, however.

"Axl, can you hear me?" said X, contacting the young hunter's frequency.

" _Sure I can, X, what's up?_ " Axl answered.

"I'm at Cossack Manor. I'm afraid something bad happened to your father, and…"

The communication was abruptly interrupted, then…

"What do you mean something happened to my dad!" Axl asked as he materialized right next to X.

"I didn't think you'd teleport here," X blinked, slightly startled by Axl's sudden arrival.

"Never mind that, tell me what happened!" the young hunter demanded.

"I don't know yet, just come with me to the studio so we can ask Alia and…"

"Well, let's go!" Axl shouted, rushing to where the blue armored hunter had indicated. "Hurry, X!"

=0=

They found Viktor Cossack sitting on a couch, his right leg in a tourniquet and he also pressed a blood stained towel to his stomach. The man was pale and his breath labored. Next to him was his wife, who was suffering from damage herself. Nina's armor was cracked in the shoulders and there were teeth marks all over her torso and back, it was clear something had bitten her hard for an instant. Fortunately, Nina wasn't in such bad shape and had already properly bandaged her husband, saving his life in the process.

"I promise we'll do all we can," Alia was saying the moment Axl and X entered the studio. "He won't get away with this!"

"Dad!" Axl screamed, rushing to his father and kneeling by his side. "How bad is it, will you be alright? Tell me who did this, I'll go and make them pay!"

"Axl… you came…" Viktor managed to get out. "Don't worry too much, son… the wounds are deep but no organs or arteries were cut and thanks to Nina I'm not bleeding anymore… I'll live…"

"But who did this!" Axl repeated. "And where is my brother?"

"Let your father breathe," Nina chided, straining to get back up. "Listen Axl… your brother isn't here… he was kidnapped!"

"My brother _what_?" the young hunter exclaimed, feeling a mix of anger and concern unlike anything he had ever experienced before. "But he's just a child, tell me who has him!"

"Tsunami Mako," Nina said, still too weak to walk and leaning on Viktor's desk for support. "He… he teleported here and took my child!"

"He wasn't alone," Splash Woman added. "Nina told us he had an accomplice."

"Mako… came here with a reploid pirate… Stab Swordfish…" Viktor coughed. "He attacked me when I tried to resist… Mako bit Nina and… and then they escaped with Mikhail."

X was about to say something, but the sirens of an aero-ambulance silenced him; less than a minute later a paramedic team was in the room, carefully placing Viktor Cossack in a stretcher.

"I'll go see you as soon as I'm repaired," Nina promised.

"And I'll get the ones who attacked you!" a furious Axl swore. "They won't get away with it!"

"We won't rest until Mikhail is home again," X assured. "You have my word, old friend."

"Thank you all," Viktor Cossack said. "I trust you will save my son…"

=0=

Axl watched in silence as the aero-ambulance flew away. He trusted his father would be alright, he had scanned him and other than blood loss, his wounds were not life-threatening. Nina wasn't too hurt either, which meant the kidnappers hadn't meant to injure them badly… but why?

"Are you not going to the labs for repairs?" Axl asked then, looking at Nina.

"…Not yet," she replied, drying her tears with a piece of cloth her sister offered her. "I can't yet."

"Why?"

"The kidnappers should be calling us with their demands soon," X explained. "That's the only reason why your father and Nina weren't killed."

"He's right," Alia said, moving in to hug her sister. Nina had held until Viktor was taken to the hospital, but now that she was alone, she had succumbed to tears. "They'll ask for something."

"A lot of money, I'm sure," Splash Woman said. The mermaid was not happy at all about this; granted, she didn't like Tsunami Mako that much, but he had helped X deactivate one of the nuclear bombs, Mako was supposed to be one of the good guys!

Axl was about to say something, but the monitor on the wall sparked to life, receiving a video call.

"Greetings," Tsunami Mako said, his face filling the screen. "I see Doctor Cossack isn't home, I imagine he's in a hospital? Oh well, Nina is still there so it doesn't matter."

"Where is my son, you maverick garbage?" the aggrieved mother demanded, walking to the screen and glaring at the kidnapper. "If he is hurt, I swear I'll…!"

"Save your empty threats, woman," Mako laughed, moving to the side to reveal he was on an old oil rig's platform. A few steps behind him stood a tall, grey armored reploid with a circular fin on his back and a long blade crowning his helmet. He pointed up, and the camera followed his hand, revealing Mikhail Cossack was indeed unhurt, but he was chained to the hook of a maintenance crane, hanging several meters above the ground.

"As you can see, the brat's fine… for the time being," the shark reploid continued, ignoring how Nina started calling her son's name.

"What do you want, Mako?" X asked, taking charge of the situation.

"Two things," the shark answered. "One, I want Splash Woman to come here and stay with me permanently. Two, I want 120 million Zenny in credit chips for my friend Stab Swordfish. Send someone else with the money so they can take the kid back."

"Are you virus infected?" growled X. "I'm not going to give you my sister!"

"Sister? Hah! Well, she either comes with the money or the boy dies. You have an hour to get our zenny, I'll contact you then." Tsunami Mako sentenced and ended the call.

=0=

"I'll do it," Splash Woman said, raising a hand to stop X from complaining. "No Robot Master in their right mind would allow a human to die."

"I appreciate that you'll do that," Nina said, smiling at the mermaid. She had already called to the bank, and a briefcase with the money was on its way to the mansion. "I know this can't be easy, but I'll be forever thankful to you."

"Then I'll take the money," Axl offered.

"Thank you, but no," Nina said firmly. "I need to go and see my son…"

"Your son needs his mother healthy," Alia interrupted. "You're injured and if my scans are right, you'll get permanent damaged to your energy converters unless you go to the lab for repairs soon. I'll give them the money."

"And then they'll escape and get away with this!" Axl cut in. "We can't let them!"

"Not necessarily," X said his expression thoughtful. "I have an idea that will minimize the chances of anyone getting hurt."

 _Later…_

The monitor sparked back to life, showing Mako's grinning face again. The shark was obviously enjoying himself, feeling things were going to happen just the way he wanted them.

"I take it you made the right choice?" He asked, staring at the robot mermaid.

"I'll go and stay with you for as long as you want," Splash Woman said, her voice cold. "Just don't hurt the boy."

"Excellent!" the shark smiled, "but what about my friend's money?"

"We have it," the mermaid replied showing a briefcase, which she opened to prove Mako the credit chips were there. "All of it. Can X come with me to deliver it?"

"No," Mako said. "No hunters. If we see X or any other hunter near we'll kill the child."

"Very well, no hunters," the Robot Master accepted. "What about Alia, can she come with me?"

The shark reploid considered this for almost a minute and then nodded his agreement.

"Yes, the navigator can come," he said in a relaxed tone. "I'm sending the coordinates now, be here in twenty minutes. And remember, no hunters!"

=0=

Notes:

I bet you weren't expecting Axl would be part of this arc, were you? But it only makes sense he would be since he's a Cossackbot in this story.

See you next chapter, thanks for reading!


	44. Chapter 44

-44-

Alia followed her sister to the basement of Cossack Manor; she had an arm around her sister's hip so she could steady herself as they walked. The navigator was worried, as it was obvious her sister's condition was worsening, and she couldn't understand why Nina was so adamant that they visited the basement before going for repairs.

"Here we are at last," Nina said. The sisters had gone through a long corridor that descended from a secret door hidden in the cellar, and now stood in front of a large metallic gate, "Sergei Cossack's personal laboratory."

"I thought this would be Viktor's," Alia frowned. "I didn't know his father had something like this."

"I didn't either," Nina admitted while she placed her hand on the wall, activating a scanning system that unlocked the door. "Viktor told me after we married, but I don't come here often."

"Why are we here, Nina?" Alia asked suddenly upset by her sister's apparent carelessness. "You should be getting maintenance, not showing me your father in law's secret lab!"

"I want to give you something that we keep here," the older sister said, wincing in pain as she pushed the door open. "And I'll go for repairs once you have it, I promise."

=0=

The laboratory was spotless and full of several machines in varying stages of completion, including a few reploid skeletons that Nina ignored as she made her way to the other end of the lab, where something similar to a Light Capsule awaited them. There was something behind the capsule's red tinted glass, but Alia couldn't tell what it was.

"Sergei used to call this his Cossack Capsule," Nina said while she opened a drawer to grab a subtank, which she used to refill her energy. "Or at least that's what Viktor says."

"What's inside?" Alia asked, crouching to examine the capsule and finding a small touch-screen on its base. "It seems you need to enter a password to activate it."

"Did you know we are the only two existing models of our series, Alia?" Nina asked while sitting on a stool, bringing her hand up to cover the painful wounds on her mauled torso. "Sergei cancelled production when he learned Viktor and I were together… do you remember your designation number? Mine is SCN-A001."

"I knew that we're the only ones," Alia answered, wondering what her sister meant. "And my number is SCN-A002, where are you going with this?"

"We are incomplete," Nina revealed. "Well, not incomplete precisely as we are fully operational as we are now, however… there is something else we were supposed to have but it was not ready for us when we were first activated. Sergei Cossack eventually completed the upgrade by himself and stored it in that capsule."

"I assume you're going to give it to me," Alia guessed. The navigator recalled the old memory file she found when she and X went on that mission to explore Gate's lab, and was certain this upgrade was precisely what that file mentioned.

"Yes, for two reasons; one you aren't damaged and two I am not compatible with it anymore."

"Why aren't you?"

"My artificial womb," Nina said and managed a soft smile. "When they implanted it and the circulatory system needed for me to sustain and grow a human fetus, the parts required to interface with the upgrade had to be removed."

"So… is the upgrade what I think it is?"

"Yes, it is," Nina nodded.

"But why are you giving it to me now?"

"Because X will need support," the older sister alleged. "And with this you will be able to give him that support. Please take it, we're short on time. The code to open the capsule is Cx4-X2-X3."

Understanding her sister was right and knowing the upgrade would be useful later, Alia kneeled and entered the password…

=0=

Axl walked out of the studio and started pacing around the hallway while waiting for X and Splash Woman to finish preparing. He had to admit X's plan was good, but he also had plans of his own. Reaching up to his helmet, he activated his communicator and called HQ.

"Pallette, I need your help."

" _Axl, what happened? You left so abruptly… are you alright?_ "

"I'll explain later," the young hunter said, remembering that by police request, nothing about the kidnapping or the attack should be discussed with people not already involved, as it could cause unforeseen complications. "Right now I need you to give me all the information we have on a reploid pirate named Stab Swordfish."

" _Ok, give me a second…_ " the navigator made a pause then continued. " _Yes, he leads a group of pirates and is considered dangerous, but since they never go after human targets we haven't been asked to deal with him or his crew. He doesn't have a Special Weapon that we know of, but is reportedly very skilled with a sword. He's weak to light and electric based attacks._ "

"Good, I can work with that. Thank you Pallette."

" _Axl, what is really going on?_ "

"Can't tell you right now, Pally," Axl answered, noticing X and Splash Woman were coming out of the studio. "But I will when it's all over. I have to go, X needs my help."

=0=

The oil rig was old, and had been inactive for more than ten years and abandoned for half of that period. The structure was, surprisingly, very well preserved, a true testament to the effort of the people who built it. In the middle of the platform stood Tsunami Mako and Stab Swordfish, and above them, still hanging from the maintenance crane, was a very upset Mikhail Cossack.

"I'm glad you gagged the brat," Tsunami Mako said. "He really could scream, and I don't think I've ever heard so many different insults directed at me before. What the hell are they teaching kids at schools these days, 'Cursing I, II and III' or something?"

"Eh. I've heard worse," Swordfish shrugged. "I really hope this plan of yours works, Mako. The only reason why I agreed to participate was because we've been doing business for years."

"Well, giving you the most valuable artifacts I find always paid much better than reporting them to the authorities, so I knew you'd be interested," the shark grinned. Mako had made a small fortune selling antiques to the black market via Stab Swordfish and was not remorseful about it. Besides what little of his findings he did report to the authorities had earned him a good reputation.

"You should have given me the capsule where that mermaid was," Swordfish noticed movement above him so he looked up at the kid to confirm he wasn't about to fall or something. "I'm sure my crew could've opened it for you."

"And damage her in the process," the shark groaned. "No, from the moment I saw her I knew Splash Woman had to be mine. I wanted her awake, not dismantled; Doctor Cossack was the only one who could restore her."

"If you say so; at least we're getting a lot of money, if things go well," the pirate hoped. "And as we agreed, I'll send your share of the ransom later. Hope those 20 million are enough for you to cover your tracks."

"It should suffice. Now get ready, they should arrive any second now…"

=0=

Splash Woman and Alia materialized on the platform with a flash of light. The mermaid looked to her right and nodded at the navigator, who was carrying a heavy looking briefcase. In front of them stood Mako and Swordfish, and looking up, the women confirmed Mikhail was still unhurt.

"Right on time," Mako greeted. "I appreciate a woman who knows how to be punctual."

"Well, I don't appreciate criminals. Release the boy," Splash Woman demanded.

"Not yet," the shark grinned. "Come to me first. And your navigator friend better stands still."

Splash Woman frowned and did as she was told, going to stand in front of the maverick with slow steps, feeling quite sick and trying not to think of the repulsive things she imagined the shark wanted to do to her.

"I really think you're disgusting," she told him once she was in front of him.

"You'll change your mind once I've linked with you," Mako promised, leering at her with a nasty, lecherous grin. "Now stand still."

The shark reached into his forearm compartment and produced from it a small cylinder, which he pointed at the Robot Master. He pressed a button and the little tube released a bubble that grew bigger and bigger until it enclosed Splash Woman.

"Bubble Lead?" She gasped, her hands pressed against the bubble.

"No. This is Plastic-Steel, the industrial grade type," Mako corrected as he gleefully admired the captured mermaid. "None of that commercial grade types they use for movies and magic shows."

"Whatever, you got me and that's what you wanted, no?" the Robot Master spat, sending a hate filled glare at the shark. "Let the child go."

"The Zenny first," Stab Swordfish reminded the mermaid. The pirate then turned to look at Alia, who was frowning and obviously furious. "Bring me the money, and don't try anything funny."

Alia nodded and walked to Stab Swordfish, keeping the suitcase in front of her to avoid angering the maverick. Once she was close enough, she smiled and opened the case, showing the pirate that it was…

"Empty!" Stab Swordfish yelled in rage, "What game is this?"

"One that you will lose," Alia said with a grin as her body started glowing white, shifting forms and transforming from the senior navigator to an extremely angry Axl.

"They lied to us, there's no money!" Swordfish shouted, quickly reaching for his twin swords. "I'll eviscerate you, whoever you are!"

"My name is Axl Cossack," the young hunter declared. "You hurt my father… prepare for justice!"

"Prepare for…?" The pirate stood agape for an instant, surprised by the hunter's declaration until he decided it was just a stupid taunt. "Do you think this is a children's book or something?"

And inside the bubble, taking advantage of the distraction Axl had so conveniently provided, Splash Woman discreetly touched the side of her helmet, sending a silent signal to Mega Man X.

=0=

Tsunami Mako was livid. Axl was a class A+ hunter and, while not as dangerous as X, was still skilled enough to fight and defeat him and Swordfish. Feeling fear rise inside him, the shark spun and stared at Splash Woman. Did they trick him with a Next Generation in disguise? They wouldn't dare! Frantic, he ran a quick scan and relaxed a little when he confirmed this was the real Splash Woman, but that didn't mean much now, because if Axl was here then that meant X was already on his way!

"What's the matter?" Splash Woman asked with a mocking tone. "Did we ruin your plan?"

"Hardly; I still have you, don't I?" Mako sneered. "We do have an escape route ready, and…!"

Two more bolts of light hit ground at that moment, interrupting Tsunami Mako's words. A quick glance revealed the shark that Mega Man X had arrived, and to his side was Alia.

"At least Zero isn't here," he muttered.

"It's over, Mako. Release Mikhail and my sister, now!" X ordered, buster at the ready.

"You're crazy if you think I will!" Tsunami Mako shouted as he pressed a button on his chest.

"What did…?" Alia started, but a loud explosion that shook the entire rig interrupted her. The navigator immediately looked up, seeing her nephew was now swinging dangerously from left to right. "He's going to fall!"

"Save him or stop me, what will it be, X?" Mako yelled and violently shoved the bubble to the edge of the platform sending it into the ocean below.

"Sister!" X yelled, pained as he tried to decide between going after Splash Woman and saving the Cossack boy.

"You lose, X! The beautiful mermaid is mine now!" the shark declared and jumped after the bubble. "Swordfish, try to follow us if you can!"

"Mako, you damned asshole!" Stab Swordfish roared, furious at his friend's betrayal. The pirate tried to slide out of the way, but Axl, his sword-like Claw Gun in hand, quickly blocked his path out of the collapsing platform.

"I'm not letting you go, maverick. Not in a million years!" Axl swore. "You'll pay for what you did to my father!"

"Curse you, kid!" Swordfish growled. "Fine, if you want a fight, you'll get a fight; show me what you can do!"

"X, go after Mako!" Alia said then, her eyes still fixed on her nephew. "Axl and I will handle this!"

"But…"

"Please go!" She urged him. "I can save him!"

Still feeling uncertain, but choosing to trust his friends, X nodded and went after Tsunami Mako.

=0=

Notes:

Alia's upgrade was first mentioned back in chapter 19; feel free to guess what this upgrade is, but the clues in chapter 19 and the name of Alia's sister should be enough for you guys to figure it out.

This arc is almost complete by the way; I should be able to finish it in one or two more chapters.


	45. Chapter 45

-45-

Axl was having trouble adequately parrying Stab Swordfish's attacks. The pirate was as skilled with a sword as Pallette had warned him, and the only reason why the young hunter had managed to so far avoid getting cut was because of his training with Zero. But Axl knew he had to finish this quickly, if he made just one mistake Swordfish would gut him without remorse, not to mention he also had to help Alia save Mikhail, he had to win soon!

"You're not bad," Swordfish appraised, locking blades with Axl. "I see you hunters aren't all talk."

"You'll see more than that!" Axl growled and pushed hard, shoving the pirate to the left and following the move with a quick swipe of his Claw Gun.

"Good move, but no finesse whatsoever!" the pirate judged and responded with a riposte that forced Axl to jump back in order to avoid being stabbed. "No finesse even when you dodge, what a brute."

"I'm the brute? You're the one who almost killed my father!" the young hunter shot back and resumed attacking, this time paying more attention to what he did, making sure that he used all he had learned about fighting blade-wielding enemies from both Wind Crowrang and Zero.

"What happened to Viktor Cossack wasn't personal!" Stab Swordfish argued deflecting as best as he could Axl's wild sword swings. "It was just business and I wouldn't have cut him if he hadn't gotten in the way!"

"I don't care, you still hurt him!" Axl furiously recalled. "And I'll punish you for that!"

"Well, that's what you think," Swordfish disagreed and changed his stance bringing both swords back and bending down slightly, the blade in his helmet pointing forward.

But the pirate couldn't complete his attack, for the oil rig creaked and trembled as a fracture crisscrossed its way through the platform. The rig had truly started to collapse!

=0=

Alia, focusing on Mikhail, did her best to ignore both X jumping off the platform and Axl's battle with Stab Swordfish. The navigator started running towards her nephew, intending on standing below him so she could activate her new upgrade and rescue him from a better position, but a loud metallic shriek followed by the oil rig splitting in half under her feet forced her to dash jump to avoid falling to the waters below.

" _I'm not going to make it!_ " Alia gasped, seeing the other side of the ruined platform crumbling away from her. She had miscalculated her jump! Looking up, she saw Mikhail was no longer hanging from the maintenance crane. Her nephew was free-falling to the sea!

"No, he won't die!" She swore and using a quick speed burst from her leg thrusters, Alia performed an air dash to switch directions, aiming to intercept her nephew's trajectory.

"Activate Wyndia Armor!" Alia shouted in despair, "Now!"

Following this command, the navigator's systems unleashed the power of Sergei's Cossack last creation with a flash of yellow light that fully enveloped Alia's body, finally giving her access to her complete and full potential.

When the glow faded Alia's armor had changed completely; it retained her basic colors, but was now a bit leaner, she had gained long, smooth shoulder pieces and a new breastplate, her headpiece became a little more elaborate, with a visor protecting her eyes and her Alia buster had received an upgrade, though she didn't know exactly what it could now do. The biggest change, however, were the pair of majestic white wings on her back.

This transformation needed less than a second, and not having time to evaluate her appearance or new power, Alia went after Mikhail with a speed and precision that confirmed her creator had definitively used all his skill when making this wonderful upgrade.

It took her less than a second to reach her nephew, catching him before he hit one of the rig's concrete legs. Alia sighed in relief and hugged her nephew tightly, silently thanking her maker for the upgrade. Relaxing a little, she spread her wings wide to slow her descent until she was gently hovering above the water. Smiling, she used this opportunity to remove the gag silencing the child.

"Aunt Alia you… you can fly?" Mikhail asked in awe.

"I just learned I could today," she smiled, feeling quite surprised this was the first thing the boy would ask. "Thanks to your grandfather, he made these wings for me."

"That's super cool!" smiled the child, who then looked up at the platform. "I hope Axl is ok."

"Me, too," Alia nodded. "But I'm sure he'll be alright. I'll take you home where you'll be safe, ok?"

Mikhail shook his head and pointed up at the rig.

"We must help Axl!" he indicated, concern evident in his eyes. "Stab Swordfish is dangerous!"

"But… fine, let's go see how he's doing," the navigator agreed, realizing this would give her a chance to be around in case X also needed help. "We should also try to stop the oil rig from sinking while we're at it."

"I can help with that!" Mikhail grinned, enjoying feeling useful. Now that he was safe in his aunt's arms, the boy had forgotten his fears and was eager to be a part of this adventure. "Tsunami Mako kept me in the control room for a few minutes when we came here, I noticed the main computer still works and we can activate the emergency systems; that's what we need to do, right?"

"Actually yes, it is," Alia nodded. She was familiar with the oil platform, having downloaded all the information before coming here, and knew that if emergency protocols were initiated, the main computer would activate a special mechanism to keep the rig afloat long enough for the staff to evacuate. "You're a smart boy, Mikhail. Let's do it!"

=0=

Stab Swordfish brought his swords down, trying to impale Axl, but the hunter managed to dash to the side, avoiding the attack with ease. In his desperation to escape the sinking platform, the pirate was becoming reckless, his attacks missing more and more often.

"Get out of my way!" Swordfish screamed, trying a rising kick that Axl quickly ducked under. "We have to leave before we're dragged under with the platform and crushed by the debris!"

"You're not leaving!" the hunter stated, switching from the Claw Gun to his regular pistols. Axl had realized there was no way he could surpass Swordfish with a blade, so he simply went back to what he knew best and aimed his guns at the pirate.

"Agh! You stubborn, snotty, annoying brat, I've had it with you!" Swordfish yelled, once again bringing his swords back, bending down and bringing his head forth. "Enough is enough; I'll chop you into tiny little pieces!"

Without further warning, Swordfish rushed at Axl, performing a series of quick horizontal slashes with both swords. This fast attack covered a wide range, and forced the hunter back into a large section of the platform that had collapsed on that side of the platform, effectively cornering him.

"This is the end!" Stab Swordfish announced, preparing the final blow.

"That's what you think!" Axl disputed, and dropping to one knee to steady his aim, he quickly shot three times at the pirate, hitting him in the arm, leg and torso.

Axl's gunfire was surprisingly effective, since Stab Swordfish, who like Tsunami Mako was a reploid optimized for underwater speed, possessed very light armor and received a considerable amount of damage from the piercing projectiles. His right leg failed mid-step and he crumbled, rolling and skidding to a stop at Axl's feet.

"Alright, squirt… you won," Swordfish said his good hand over the wound on his stomach. "I yield."

"Why should I arrest you?" Axl asked, aiming his gun at Swordfish's head. "You almost killed my father."

"Wait, Axl!" Mikhail shouted. "You don't have to do that!"

The young hunter looked up and saw his brother was alive, carried by a breathtaking winged figure that elegantly glided in his direction. He couldn't hold back a relieved smile, feeling so glad his brother was safe that he actually forgot his anger and thirst for revenge.

Alia touched ground and gently placed the child on the ground, she hesitated for an instant given the platform was still sinking, but in the end allowed Mikhail to go to his brother's side.

"I was so worried, are you ok?" Axl asked, hugging Mikhail while running a scan on him, finding that he was indeed unharmed.

"I'm fine, they didn't hurt me," the boy said. "How are mom and dad?"

"They'll be fine… father was wounded by this… maverick," Axl spat, some his fury returning at the memory of a bleeding Viktor Cossack. "But I'll take care of him."

"Don't hurt him anymore," the Cossack boy said, placing his hands over Axl's arm, his voice suddenly sounding very old and very tired.

"He hurt our father…"

"Yes, and you won, you beat him," Mikhail told his brother. "I know Stab Swordfish hurt dad, but he's not evil like Lumine and his generals… he's just… he's just a bully who wants money."

"Listen to the kid!" the pirate begged. "He's right, I'm… I'm not a monster like the mavericks you retire… please, I won't fight you anymore."

Axl took in a deep breath, looked down at his brother's hopeful eyes and understood he had to be better for him, and the kid was right, Swordfish wasn't worth it. Calming down, he put his gun away and nodded at Mikhail.

"Be glad my brother helped me see you for what you are," Axl said sending a disgusted glare at the pirate. "You're under arrest, Stab Swordfish. All you say is being recorded and can be used against you during your trial, do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand," Swordfish said while letting Axl put cuffs on him. "I understand."

"Axl, can you look after Mikhail for a moment?" Alia asked while looking around as if looking for something. "I need to find the platform's control room."

"Sure, and I'll call HQ for a transport, too," he assured. "We need to go back home and deliver this fish to the authorities."

=0=

Thanks to her flight mode, it took Alia less than a minute to locate the control room, and much less to activate the main computer. She found that the system was a little irresponsive after being inactive for so long, and it was even arguing it was about time the platform sank, as it would help the ecosystem by eventually becoming a shelter for fish and coral.

[And that is why it is not necessary to activate the emergency systems.]

Alia frowned after reading the computer's response. This was not helping her! Running a hand over her hair, the navigator tried a different approach.

"Scan the platform, there's a human here!" Alia stressed her point by sending an image of Mikhail to the computer. "And it's a child, you can't let him die!"

[Scan completed. You are correct. There is a human on the platform, activating emergency systems. Warning: Due to structural damage, this unit cannot guarantee the platform will remain afloat for more than two hours.]

"Two hours is fine," the navigator said certain that would be enough time for a vehicle from HQ to arrive to their location. "Thank you."

She heard the unmistakable sound of heavy machinery below her, and soon the platform steadied, stopping its slow descent into the cold sea. She had done it, they would be safe for a while. Now all she needed was to see X again. Thinking of him, Alia walked to the nearby window and looked down at the dark waters below. Was he alright down there? Mako was cornered and very dangerous, willing to do anything to win. Could X defeat him?

" _I know you can,_ _X. But please be safe… please win!_ " She pleaded silently, pressing her hands against her chest. " _Win and return to me…_ "

=0=

Notes:

Shout out to Luna Eevee! You guessed right, Alia's upgrade was indeed a suit of armor.

The Wyndia Armor described here is based on the character 'Nina' from the first Breath of Fire, a classic RPG series from Capcom. In that game, the Wyndia kingdom is where winged people live, and the princesses of said kingdom are all winged, blonde girls that share the name Nina.

Next chapter comes the final clash between X and Tsunami Mako, see you then!


	46. Chapter 46

-46-

X hit water knowing quite well he was putting himself at a disadvantage. If Mako had decided to wait close the oil platform and stay near the surface he could very well try to bite him in half. Fortunately, the shark maverick wasn't there. X clung to one of the rig's large concrete supports to gather his surroundings, allowing his optics to adjust to the waters and his sensors to provide him with vital information while his servomotors automatically adjusted for underwater motion.

The blue hunter expected to see Mako in front of him, swimming at full speed and trying to put as much distance between him and the platform as possible, but that was not the case. Yes, the evasive shark was escaping, but he was going in a descending trajectory, obviously wanting to go deep, hoping to avoid detection. A clever plan that could have worked, but Tsunami Mako didn't know Splash Woman could send a signal directly to X, sharing her location at all times if she desired.

Aiming carefully with his buster, X shot two quick blasts of searing solar energy at the shark; the solar bullets hit their intended target, causing Mako to twist in pain and reach for his scorched back as he turned to look at his attacker.

"It's over Mako, don't make it worse!" X warned as he prepared a charged shot.

…

Splash Woman was furious. She hated being manipulated and forced to do things she didn't want to do. It was one of the things that had remained with her after Wily reprogrammed her and used her as a puppet. Because of that, the seething mermaid, kneeling inside the bubble with her hands pressing against the surprisingly resistant material around her, was already planning on different ways to escape this unfortunate situation. She knew Mako was stronger and faster than she was, but believed that if she used her Special Weapon cleverly, that fact wouldn't matter much.

He talked to her, but she refused to answer his ramblings about how she belonged to him. She instead discreetly brought her hand to her hip, her fingers barely touching the compartment where she kept her trident hidden in its compact form. It would be risky, but she believed she could reach for her weapon, extend it to full length and shoot a Laser Trident aimed at Tsunami Mako's face before he could react. With some luck she would be able to incapacitate him long enough for her to teleport away.

But in the end she didn't have to. One look behind the maverick revealed X was already in the water.

…

Tsunami Mako was feeling particularly pleased. Planting those explosive charges under the platform had paid off; now the hunters would be too busy trying to save the Cossack boy and dealing with Stab Swordfish. True, those were but small distractions, but combined they should be enough to provide him with the time he needed to escape with his precious mermaid.

He kept pushing the bubble down, glad that the material was heavy enough for him to move it underwater with little difficulty in spite of it being full of air, grinning at Splash Woman as he went. Mako could hardly wait to link with her, as he figured Robot Masters had that feature too, and if they didn't, well, he knew people who could probably make the necessary modifications on her body. And in the remote case it was impossible to do it he could always keep her as a trophy, a prize for him to look at and occasionally talk to when he felt bored.

"Don't be angry. You were mine since the moment I found you," Mako told her grinning arrogantly. "Everything I find under the sea belongs to me, you are no exception."

The Robot Master ignored him and looked away from him, something that he found particularly endearing. He would truly enjoy breaking her mind until she was completely under his control. Of course, that could damage her programming a little, but he trusted it wouldn't be anything that would end up turning her into a mindless puppet; it would ruin the thrill of possessing her.

That was when he felt the twin impacts on his back, painfully burning through his thin armor.

Mako hissed in pain and reached for his wounded back as he turned to look at the platform, already knowing who had attacked him: Mega Man X.

" _Curse him!_ " The enraged maverick thought. " _Why is he here, did he let the Cossack child die?_ "

"It's over Mako, don't make it worse!" Warned X, his buster glowing now with unreleased power.

"It would be best if you stop," Splash Woman recommended. "As much as I dislike you for this, you are the reason why I'm here. I'm still thankful for that, let X arrest you."

"Never, X!" he shouted, dismissing both X's warning and the mermaid's advice. "I won't give her up, I found her… Splash Woman is mine!"

A loud boom and a sudden change in the current shoving them further away surprised them then, and a quick glance revealed to the shark that an entire section of the platform had just crumbled into the ocean right above X.

…

Mega Man X first noticed the sound, a rumbling loud and fierce followed by a sudden shift in the water that pushed him down, followed by his sensors immediately alerting him of a massive object falling above him. Looking up, the hunter could only stare as he saw the titanic mess of steel and concrete descending upon him. It was deceivingly fast, and so gigantic it wouldn't matter what he did, it would crush him!

But he could not let that happen, he had to rescue his sister!

Should he teleport? No, he decided instantly, he didn't have any coordinates set so evading it that way would only give Mako time to escape and make the chase far more difficult. Then what? Summon one of his armors? Normally Alia would send the armor to him, but she wasn't in HQ!

Cursing his luck and realizing he had no time to waste, X jumped away from the support he had been holding on to and then immediately activated his dash, hoping this would help him clear the falling wreckage.

For a moment it seemed as if he would be able to do it, but a steel beam struck him between the shoulders, dragging him down to the bottom, where he was crushed by several tons of debris.

…

"Yes!" Tsunami Mako shouted in triumph. "Yes, yes, yes, YES!"

Splash Woman tried to scream at the scene but the shock stalled her voice box, and all she managed was a weak whimper. Was X gone? No, he was her only family, he couldn't die!

"There is no way he survived that!" the shark declared with a grin. "He's dead!"

The mermaid wasn't paying attention to what her captor was saying, she had activated her sonar and was carefully analyzing the information she was receiving. It was difficult, the noise and vibrations released by the impact caused interference. Frustrated, she activated her RMC Field and expanded it as much as she could; combining the information she obtained this way with her sonar readings, finally detecting a faint signal that got stronger as the pieces of the platform and the sand settled on the bottom.

" _He lives!_ " she discovered, smiling as she let out a sigh of relief. Her brother was alive!

"What are you doing?" Mako asked. His sensors, entirely optimized for underwater operation, had alerted him of what Splash Woman was doing, so he followed her example and also combed the area confirming that, indeed, X was still alive. "I can't believe this, why won't he die?"

"He's Doctor Light's masterpiece," Splash Woman said. "He can't be defeated so easily."

"Well, masterpiece or not he must be extremely damaged after that." Tsunami Mako opined as he wedged Splash Woman's bubble between some rocks. "And I'm the one who is going to finish him off. I'll do what Sigma and Lumine couldn't… I will kill Mega Man X!"

"No, don't hurt him… I'll do anything you want!" Splash Woman begged. "But please…!"

"You will do what I want regardless, now watch while I destroy him!" the shark interrupted and swam at full speed towards X with the intention of biting his head off.

…

Splash Woman waited anxiously until Tsunami Mako was at a prudent distance before reaching for her Trident. She extended it to full length and then used it to pierce the bubble she was trapped in, turning her legs back into a tail as soon as water touched her. The Robot Master glanced around and thanked her maker for her good luck, Mako was so eager to kill her brother that he didn't notice her escape.

" _I'll save you, brother!_ " she promised, pushing her rage aside as she focused on swimming faster and faster while storing energy in her hands, preparing a charge for her Laser Trident.

Mega Man X could not move much. The weight on his back kept pushing him down, and the soft sand under him appeared to be too eager to swallow him. X, more than half his body trapped under the crushing weight, tried again to shove the debris off him but again it was useless. He had never been in a situation like this before and despite his considerable strength, lifting the platform remains trapping him appeared to be an impossible task.

"It's time to die, X!" Tsunami Mako announced, swimming at him with incredible speed.

The blue hunter did not respond, but reacted quickly by shooting a charged shot at the maverick. His aim was not perfect however, and Mako was able to simply roll to the side, avoiding the attack without sacrificing much speed. Gritting his teeth, X kept firing as he tried to get free.

"I'm not going to waste this chance to destroy you!" Mako growled, going left to dodge X's last attack as he increased his speed and moved down, jaws open aiming to bite the hunter in half.

"I won't let you hurt my brother!" Splash Woman warned, following her oath by firing a fully charged Laser Trident at the malicious shark ahead of her.

Tsunami Mako had only time to react when she heard Splash Woman's voice, and tried to roll to the side to avoid the huge energy trident she had thrown at him. The charged Laser Trident was incredibly fast, however, and he couldn't dodge it completely, getting hit in his left arm above the elbow.

The attack proved to be catastrophic. The trident went through his arm and kept going, hitting the debris trapping X and slicing a large chunk off it.

But Mako had no time to notice that, the incredible agony going through his chest and torso made him scream in pain, and seeing how his power fluid stained the water black around him only increased his fury. Giving in to his rage, the shark entered a frenzied state and zigzagged up and then left, leaving a trail of black as he moved with incredible speed dodging three more Laser Tridents Splash Woman sent his way.

"We had a deal!" He shouted slamming the mermaid from above, his superior speed allowing him to hit her before she could react. "You were supposed to come along quietly!"

Splash Woman had to spin and stretch her arms and tail to recover her balance, her systems screaming and warning her about the sudden energy drop. The Robot Master cursed, her Power Core had descended to 54% after one single hit!

" _At least there's no internal damage…_ " she thought, wincing in pain as she touched her bruised right shoulder. " _But I can't let him hit me again!_ "

"Stop!" X pleaded, fear evident in his voice as he struggled harder to get free, actually managing to slightly move the massive weight crushing him. "It's me you want, Mako, leave her alone!"

"Shut up, this was your fault, X, you made her do this! But it doesn't matter anymore, I'll fix her attitude later!" The shark shouted. Mako had decided reprogramming Splash Woman would be necessary, which meant damaging her a little was now an acceptable option. Opening his mouth wide, he activated the powerful micro-turbines in his gills and unleashed a mighty water current that the mermaid had no time to avoid.

Trapped in the powerful Tsunami Wave, Splash Woman could only scream as she was slammed against the wreckage. The impact was so strong the mermaid cracked the concrete and sank to the bottom, several pieces of debris falling on top of her, completely burying her right in front of Mega Man X.

"It's all over, X!" Mako declared, once again planning to decapitate the blue hunter.

…

Whatever threat Tsunami Mako had shouted, Mega Man X didn't hear it. His eyes were set on the heavy concrete and metal burying his sister. He had desperately tried to sense if she was alive, even activating his advanced RMC Field without any success. The black stain that filtered through the rubble did tell him she was leaking power fluid. She was damaged, perhaps beyond repair!

X felt a cold wave of fear invade his systems.

Did he earn a sister only to see her die? Was he destined to be last Lightbot again? Abandoned and alone?

No, he refused to even consider that possibility! Splash Woman had to live. He would save her no matter the cost. He could not lose his only family!

His hands sinking in the sand as he used all his strength to push, X again was met with failure. It was simply too heavy!

"I'll crush your skull between my jaws!"

Listening to Mako only enraged X further. Tsunami Mako had not only kidnapped an innocent child and hurt a defenseless human. He had hurt his sister. And _that_ was unforgivable! Fury filling his core, Mega Man X decided it was time to end this.

"Maaaaakooooo!" X shouted, his body switching colors as he activated the Apollo chip, unleashing his unstoppable power with a mighty golden aura that swiftly cracked the wreckage above him and caused it to crumble into gravel as he finally stood up, energy swirling around him at such high temperatures the water around him started to vaporize.

"Don't think that scares me!" the shark maverick challenged, too frantic to recognize the danger he was in. "I got a Nightmare Drive from Lumine just in case you used one of your tricks. I didn't have it with me before, but now… now it'll be your doom!"

Saying nothing more, Tsunami Mako activated the Nightmare Drive and cackled as the power of the nightmare souls filled his Core, giving him an incredible energy boost that made his body glow green. He had never felt so strong in his life, his wounds and his missing arm no longer mattered. This power made him invincible!

"I'll destroy you, X!" Mako howled, attacking the blue hunter with a super charged version of his Tsunami Wave, confident that X would be eliminated by the powerful pressure of his nightmare enhanced Special Weapon.

The mighty current hit X with full force, dissolving much of the sunken platform section behind him, lifting sand and rocks in a whirlwind of aquatic fury that were carried far away by the strong water currents released by the maverick.

"I did it, I defeated X! I surpassed Sigma and Lumine!" The shark, now standing at the bottom, declared with a satisfied grin. The sand had yet to set, and the murky waters had reduced visibility in front of him to almost nothing, but his sensors were not detecting anything other than the immobile form of Splash Woman, still buried under a few tons of debris to his right.

A single spark of gold pierced the dark waters then and before Mako could react, Mega Man X, still surrounded by a burning aura and completely undamaged, dashed at full speed towards him. X moved so fast that Tsunami Mako could only stare as the hunter's fist went through his torso, disrupting his systems and overloading them, causing irreversible damage.

"What was that?" He managed to get out, looking down at the massive hole in his midsection, not understanding what had just happened. How could X have so much power? He was already defeated, trapped and weak under hundreds of tons of concrete and metal, this was impossible!

"Solar Dash," X answered, not turning to face his defeated adversary. "And it's less than what you deserve, maverick."

Tsunami Mako could not reply. His systems finally gave and his Power Core exploded with a loud blast, leaving nothing behind.

…

" _Please let her be alright!_ " X thought as he frantically tossed rocks to the side. He quickly found her arm, and then the rest of her. Power Fluid escaped from some of the cracks in her armor, the worst fissure located in her tail. He did a scan but other than her armor and low energy levels she appeared to be in good condition.

" _Must take her out of here so I can look at her better,_ " X decided, carefully picking up his sister and quickly teleporting back to the oil platform.

"Splash Woman?" He called once he materialized on the rig. "Sister, can you hear me?"

Silence.

"Splash Woman, please answer me!" X begged, holding her close to his chest. "Please talk to me!"

She stirred, groaned and then…

"I hear you… I just… I feel dizzy… give me a second," she coughed, finally opening her eyes and shaking her head to clear it.

"How are you feeling?" X asked.

"Systems say my armor's going to need fixing. And I'm leaking power fluid, but it's not that bad, I've been worse," she said, her voice steadier now. "And I could really use a nap, I'm exhausted."

"You can sleep all you want once I take you to HQ for repairs," X chided, then laughed as he found he couldn't maintain the stern brother charade; he was too happy to see her awake for that.

"Where's Mako?" the mermaid asked as X carefully placed her on the ground. He kneeled in front of her, and appeared to tense after hearing her question.

"Tsunami Mako won't be bothering us again," X said, turning serious as he spoke. "I made sure of that."

Splash Woman nodded, understanding what X meant. She reached for his shoulder and offered him an encouraging smile.

"You did what you had to, Mako was dangerous and had endangered a human," she told him, her eyes set on his. "Thank you for rescuing me."

"You rescued me first," X said and smiled back at her. "Your charged Laser Trident shot was impressive, sister. I didn't think it could be so powerful."

"I'll have to thank Doctor Light for that, his upgrades were very useful."

"Yeah… father always delivers with those."

Splash Woman nodded again, looking at X and feeling happy that he was there for her, there to be her family, her brother.

"I'm sure Alia and the others are worried," Mega Man X said then. "I think I should call her to let her know we're fine."

"You won't have to," she smiled and pointed up behind X, "She's above us."

"Above?" X asked and looked up, his eyes meeting an angelical vision approaching them. Was the winged figure he saw really Alia? She was… she was stunningly beautiful. How could he not have seen it before?

"She looks prettier than before, huh?" Splash Woman whispered, playfully poking at X's side. The mermaid had finally decided that Alia was _almost_ worthy of being close to her brother, and that it was her duty as the oldest sister to tease X about it. "You should tell her later."

"What…? But I… what?" X stammered, confused by his sister's words and sudden change of mood.

"Oh, my, look at your face, it's redder than a tomato!" Splash Woman chuckled, raising her right hand to greet Alia, who was about to touch ground in front of them.

=0=

Notes.

Third arc completed!

First of all, thanks for reading this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it!

This chapter marks the end of what I consider to be season 1, and next chapter we'll begin with the next one.

I'm sure you all can guess some of the things that will happen in season 2, but I will still include what I hope will be interesting revelations and a few twists that might surprise you.

The story will return after a short hiatus, see you soon!


	47. Chapter 47

**Relic of the seas**

 **By**

 **Dr Facer**

~ 47 ~

Three beams of light touched ground right outside Saint Petersburg's Mary of Mercy hospital, revealing the forms of Pallette, Layer and Scarlet. They stretched, checked their appearance and dusted off a bit before approaching the hospital, as they wanted to look their best when they met with Alia.

"Are you sure she's here?" Layer asked Pallette.

"She could be looking after her nephew," Scarlet said.

"No, she is here, I just got a text from her," the younger navigator informed. "She says she's coming to meet us here."

"Good, I don't really like hospitals," Scarlet revealed. "Seeing sick or hurt humans always makes me a bit sad."

"Surprising considering who you're dating," Layer noted.

"As destructive as he is, Vile has not caused any human casualties," the redheaded navigator said with a slightly offended tone. "Go and read the recordings from his battle memory, he gave Signas a copy a few days ago, it's not altered in any way."

"As incredible as it sounds, she's not lying," Pallette, who had read said document, informed. "Call it luck, but Vile was always involved in combat with other reploids and mechaniloids."

Layer simply shook her head and sighed. She still didn't fully trust Scarlet and Vile, and was having a really hard time accepting that the two were now members of the elite team.

The navigators continued their conversation for a few more minutes, until they noticed Alia walked out of the hospital. The senior navigator was not alone, however. With Alia was her sister, and between the two walked Mikhail Cossack. The sisters and the child noticed them immediately, and quickly approached them.

"I didn't think you would come," Alia said to Scarlet after greeting them all. "It's nice to see you're getting along well with the team."

"I try," Scarlet said nonchalantly.

"We were wondering if you needed any help," Pallette asked then. "That's why we're here."

"It's our day off, so we can spend it helping you," Layer added with a smile. "If you and Nina need anything, we'll be glad to lend a hand."

"What they said," Scarlet nodded.

"I… well, I couldn't impose," Alia flushed, surprised by the offer.

"Why don't you all go somewhere and relax a little?" Nina suggested. She was crouching and fixing her son's hair, but had paid attention to what the navigators were saying. "Mikhail and I will be going to visit my mother in law, so I won't need any help for the rest of the day."

"Are you sure?" Alia asked.

"Yes, I'm sure," Nina smiled appreciating her sister's concern. "Go with your friends, Alia. I'll call you if something really important happens, I promise."

"But…"

"We'll keep an eye on her and make sure she has fun," Scarlet cut in, grabbing Alia's arm and offering Nina a bright smile. "You can count on us!"

"Wait, what if…?" Alia started.

"You need to loosen up a bit," Scarlet said. "You'll be able to help your sister more efficiently that way."

Layer and Pallette looked at each other, nodded and then followed Scarlet's example, Layer leaning on Alia's shoulder while Pallette grabbed her other arm. As much as they didn't want to admit it, the redheaded navigator had a point: Alia did need to relax.

"Your friends are correct. Please go with them," Nina insisted. "We'll be alright."

"Fine, but call me if you need anything," Alia said.

=0=

The four navigators walked along one of the city's many canals, chatting about the different comings and goings in HQ, particularly the new Ride Chasers that were supposed to handle better than the ones they had been using until then. Pallette recalled seeing them before in Flame Scorpion's hideout, and in her opinion the new vehicles would really help the hunters during their patrols.

"When will Doctor Cossack leave the hospital?" Layer asked after the previous topic died down.

"In three days. He's healed well," Alia recalled. "But they won't release him until after they make sure his leg will be fully functional again. His final tests are tomorrow."

"I'm glad to hear that," said Layer, a sentiment shared by the other navigators.

"Is there a reason why we're walking this way?" Scarlet asked then. "I just downloaded a list of places we could go for a drink and there's nothing open at this hour around here."

"I want to ask X's sister if she wants to join us," Alia answered. "She should be working nearby."

"Ah, yes, the mermaid," Scarlet nodded. "Vile told me about her."

"I never really had a chance to talk to her during the recent Lumine incident," Pallette said. "I'm curious about her."

"I am, too," Layer agreed. "The fact she is a Robot Master has kept me intrigued for days."

"Well, she's nice," the senior navigator said. "And almost reploid level in all aspects, I like her."

 _A few minutes later…_

They found her underwater, in the middle of the canal. She was surrounded by six or seven mechaniloid fish that were busy helping her by containing an oil stain while she worked on a big tortoise looking robot. Not really wanting to go into the water, Alia located the message X sent her the day before where he had included Splash Woman's frequency.

" _Hello, Splash Woman, do you need help?_ " Alia transmitted.

The Robot Master stopped working and looked up. Splash Woman waved at Alia and the navigators and signaled them to wait for a bit. That done, the mermaid returned to what she was doing and, a few moments later, reactivated the turtle based mechaniloid. She waited until the robot swam away, only then going to the surface.

"Apologies for the wait, that M-Tortoise was leaking fuel and I had to fix it," the Robot Master explained after activating her land mode to climb out of the canal. "What brings you here, Alia?"

"We're on our way to have something to drink, and I wondered if you would like to come so you could meet my friends," she said with an inviting smile. "What do you say, do you have time?"

"Well… I finished my route a while ago so I'm free right now," the mermaid returned the smile. "If you don't mind me coming I'd be happy to join you."

=0=

Splash Woman and the navigators where sitting at the counter of a snack bar that specialized on reploids, and the five were enjoying different types of Energen based drinks. The Robot Master quickly became the focus of the conversation, and was kept busy answering questions regarding her origins. Layer and Pallette had been very interested about that, particularly how she was still functional after so long. Scarlet on the other hand was more fascinated by her weapon system and power output, mentioning it was impressive for technology over a century old.

"Where is Mega Man X?" Splash Woman asked when she had the chance. She was feeling curious about her brother, and really wanted to know what he was doing.

"Captain X and the rest of the elite hunters are with Signas," Pallette provided after taking a sip of her bubbling Energen Berry Punch.

"They have special training today," Layer completed while putting her steamy cup of E-chamomile back on the table. "They must adjust their strategies since they are now four."

"Oh, that's good, I suppose," the mermaid said, then remembered Vile was always rude to X and the others. "I hope they all learn to work together well."

"I hope so, too," Alia sighed, wondering if Vile could continue cooperating as he had so far. She doubted it, and was about to mention it but since Scarlet was present she instead stirred her glass of sugary Energen albino a third time.

"It's weird you haven't been on the news," Scarlet said then, she had just finished an icy bottle of E-charger soda and was signaling the server for another. "An operational Robot Master is not something that is found every day."

"Doctor Cossack wanted me to be in a press conference," Splash Woman answered while staring at the simple Energen can she was drinking from, thinking that perhaps she should have followed the navigators' example, as they all had bought fancier, more elaborate drinks. "I'm not good with crowds, so I asked him if we could cancel it."

"I can see he agreed," Pallette rejoined.

"He did after I helped rescue Mikhail, he's going to let me live anonymously as any other reploid. I really appreciate that, being in the spotlight isn't easy for me."

"And what will happen with the parts of that other robot you mentioned?" Layer asked then.

"Eve-Y's parts," Splash Woman sighed, feeling suddenly sad. "Doctor Cossack is going to show them to select members of the press before taking them to the Science Museum owned by his family's foundation."

"Oh… I'm sorry if I overstepped," the tall navigator offered once she noticed Splash Woman seemed to have a hard time talking about the subject.

"Thank you, but please don't worry too much, I'm fine," the mermaid said. "It's just that Eve-Y should be the one here talking with you, not me. I failed her, I couldn't protect her."

"Well, I can honestly say that I am really glad you're with us," Alia told her then, leaning forward to place a reassuring hand over Splash Woman's shoulder. "And I'm sure X is as well."

"I know we're just starting to know each other, but I fully agree with Alia," Pallette offered with a sincere smile.

"Same here," Layer said, also smiling. "I'm glad to have the opportunity to be your friend."

"What they all said," Scarlet nodded. "I do think it's cool we have a Robot Master around."

"Thank you…" Splash Woman made a pause to compose herself, as her electronic brain was overwhelmed with the feeling of gratitude she was experiencing. "You can't imagine how much your words mean to me."

=0=

X stood a little apart from the other hunters, looking at the terrain in front of them. They were in a desert, and a few miles ahead an old surveillance tower could be seen. Their task, as Signas had explained, consisted in reaching the tower while dealing with a group of 32 rank B Maverick hunters assigned to protect it.

"They seem really eager to start the exercise, don't you think?" Zero observed as he approached X. The red armored hunter crossed his arms and nodded at the small army of reploids guarding the tower. "Not surprising after what Signas told them."

"I still can't believe he promised to raise their ranks to B+ or even A- if they managed to stop all of us," Axl sighed while checking his ammo. "It's only going to make them try harder."

"That's what he wanted," X reminded Axl. "Most of the other hunters won't dare to go after us under any circumstances, this is good motivation for them and in turn will force us take the exercise seriously."

"Is that a joke, X?" Vile interrupted while getting closer to X and Zero. "We can't use lethal force on those rookies and they can't harm us either, our weapons are all set to stun. There is no incentive to take this combat simulation seriously."

"And you would love to use lethal force, wouldn't you?" Zero said, the dislike he felt for Vile evident in his voice.

Vile responded by placing his left hand inside his right elbow, punching his right fist up and then raising his right middle finger, aiming the two silent insults directly at Zero. This done, the renegade hunter went to sit on a rock, waiting until X finally decided to start this stupid training exercise.

Axl, despite himself, couldn't hold back a chuckle; it was the first time he had seen someone combine giving somebody the finger with the forearm jerk, and he found it incredibly amusing.

"Glad to see you find Vile's juvenile behavior entertaining," Zero groaned. "The last thing we need is for you to encourage it."

"Oh, come on, Zero!" Axl chortled. "I know it's wrong and I'm sorry he insulted you, but you gotta admit it's funny!"

"It wasn't," Zero sighed, but understanding it was useless to argue over something so stupid he simply chose to let it go and turned to look at X. "So, what do you think we should do?"

"Let's split into two groups," X suggested. "You take Axl and go left. Vile and I will go right."

"Why don't we make this interesting?" Vile interrupted. "The first team that reaches the tower wins five thousand Zenny."

"I'm not interested," Zero said.

"Neither am I," X agreed.

"I wouldn't mind taking that bet," Axl grinned, certain that he and Zero could win.

"Deal!" Vile said while shaking Axl's hand. "I hope you have enough money to pay, kid."

"You should be the one worrying, I'm not losing," the younger hunter shot back.

"We'll shall see."

"If you're done…" X interrupted. "I got the green light from Signas, it's time to start."

"Excellent!" said Axl, who then signaled Zero as he dashed left. "Follow me, Zero, let's win this!"

"In your dreams, kid!" Vile shouted as he rushed to the right. "You can stay there for all I care X, I don't need your help!"

"Axl and Vile are going to ruin this exercise, aren't they?" X lamented as he observed how the other two started engaging the hunter squadron with singular recklessness.

"Seems they will," Zero agreed with a sigh. "I think we'll have to go make sure neither of them hurts someone by accident."

"Yeah, you're probably right," X rubbed his temples and took in a deep breath. "Let's go keep an eye on those two fools."

And saying nothing more, X and Zero entered the fray, ready to make sure things didn't get out of hand.

=0=

The rusted doors opened slowly, allowing Isoc access to an underground laboratory more than a century old. It was not as big as other laboratories he had worked in before, but it didn't matter. In here he would find the necessary resources to continue with his plans. The lab returned to life as he walked through the halls, relying to him a status report that indicated all systems were operational and waiting for instructions.

"Hm?" Isoc muttered as he received a particular piece of information. "What is this? I didn't know anything about it."

Deciding it was worth taking a look, Isoc climbed down a set of stairs and entered a room where he found something that actually managed to surprise him.

A black capsule with a still visible yellow ' _W_ ' painted on top.

And there was a robot in there. Extremely damaged, yes, but repairable according to his scans.

"My, my, this is certainly unexpected…" Isoc said, his left brow rising in surprise as he approached the capsule and saw who was inside. "Who would have thought it would be you?"

Pleased by this fortunate finding, Isoc returned to the upper levels of the lab and sat in front of the laboratory's main computer, analyzing all the information regarding the contents of the lab. There were enough robots here to procure raw materials and build a small factory he could use to assemble modern mechaniloids, and then expand this place to better suit his needs.

No. That alone would not do, he decided. He would need something stronger, something bigger. Something unstoppable.

He leaned forward and accessed a file he had dismissed only a few minutes before.

"Yes," he muttered as he studied the schematics in the file. "Yes, this should do. With some modifications and using current technology… I can truly make this inexpugnable!"

Isoc rested his chin on his left palm and closed his eyes. The only problem now was time. Because building everything would take at least five months, perhaps more if he ran into unforeseen complications.

"But I have all the time I need, now," he said as he glanced at the screen. "All the time in the world."

Convinced that this time he would finally be able to reach his goals, Isoc stood up and returned to the lower levels, intending to start working on that damaged robot right away.

=0=

Notes.

Hello, everyone, welcome to season 2!

As I mentioned before, in this season will have a few revelations regarding Splash Woman's past. And we'll finally learn more about Eve-Y. I know you guys want to know more about Isoc's plans, but we have other plot points to complete first. Don't worry, Isoc will return when you least expect him.

Thanks for reading!


	48. Chapter 48

~ 48 ~

Axl stared intently at the credit chip he held between his fingers, then his gaze moved slowly to Vile's expecting right hand. The idea of giving him five thousand Zenny was not pleasant at all, and the fact Zero and X were also present didn't make things any better. The young hunter suddenly recalled the moment Vile used some sort of flash grenade to blind everyone but him when they were all near the tower, a trick that allowed him to win their bet.

"C'mon, kid," Vile urged. "It's been five days, give me my money."

"Damn it Vile, this chip has half my savings!" Axl groaned, recalling it took the bank almost a full week to grant his request to withdraw such a large amount of Zenny from his Hunter Investment Account.

"I don't care. Besides, you're a rich kid. I'm sure your dear old dad can give you some cash if you ask him," the purple armored hunter said with a shrug. "Now, pay up."

"I'm not going to ask my father for money," the prototype said. "Are you defective or something?"

"Leave the insults to the grownup crowd, junior," Vile laughed. "You're still too green to properly bite back. Give me that chip, I don't have all day."

"Just let him have the money," Zero advised. He and X had been forced to act as witnesses of this little transaction by both Vile and Axl to make sure the bet was honored, and he was already fed up with it. "I have better things to do with my time than being here watching you two acting like fools over some Zenny."

"Same here," X rejoined. "I do have something very important to do later today."

"Fine," Axl sighed in defeat and finally handed over the chip to Vile. "Enjoy it."

"You bet I will, kid," Vile said with a prideful tone. "Nice making business with you, call me again if you want to gamble the rest of your savings."

Not waiting for an answer, Vile turned and walked down the hallway, spinning the credit chip between his fingers as he went.

"Pallette is going to be so pissed if she finds out about this," Axl lamented.

"Don't tell her, problem solved," Zero suggested. "Anyway, I have to go meet with Douglas; he wants me to take one of the new Ride Chasers out to test how they handle, so I won't be here when you two go to Russia, but good luck finding what you're looking for."

"Thanks, I'm sure we will," smiled Axl, forgetting about Vile as the idea of exploring the Cossack Citadel filled him with excitement. "I'm sure we'll find something cool!"

"Or useful," X added, remembering the only complete memory transfer of his father apparently resided in the Citadel. "I just hope there's nothing dangerous there."

=0=

Mikhail ran through the halls of Cossack Mansion until he reached the massive garden out back and from there he rushed to the landing platform to his right, where his parents and Splash Woman were talking with a group of reploids formed by X, Alia, Axl and Pallette. The boy knew his parents were going on some sort of expedition, and while he didn't know all details, he had heard they would be looking for the ruins of his great-grandfather's laboratory.

And Mikhail was not going to miss on that.

With a determined stride, the child entered the landing platform and stood next to his father, waiting in silence until there was a pause in the conversation, and then…

"I want to _go_!"

Viktor Cossack looked down, surprised by the demanding tone in his son's voice. Mikhail was not a spoiled child, so this behavior was very unusual. The man crouched, feeling glad he could do that and thankful his leg and torso had healed well, and placed a hand over his son's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, but you can't come with us. It'll be too cold out there and you could get sick. Besides, it may be dangerous, there might be aggressive guardbots where we're going."

"But I wanna gooooo!" the kid pleaded, tears glistering in his eyes.

Viktor was momentarily at a loss. It was obvious Mikhail was preparing a monster tantrum, something the child had never done before, and he didn't really know how to react. Should he reprimand his son in front of his guests? No, that would only worsen things and cause a terrible scene. Then what?

Nina was also a little confused; Mikhail was normally a very well behaved child so she didn't have much experience dealing with a situation like this. Her electronic brain started running simulations as quickly as it could, trying to find a way to defuse her boy's temper.

"Let him come, dad," Axl said then, placing a hand over Mikhail's shoulder. "I'll keep my brother safe, I promise."

"Are you sure?" Viktor asked. "I was not lying when I said it could be dangerous, some of the old Citadel's defenses may still be active."

"I'm sure Mikhail will be a good boy and keep close to me and Pally at all times," the older Cossack sibling said. "Isn't that right, brother?"

"Of course, I'll stay with them!" Mikhail promised. "I won't get in your way while you work, dad, I just want to see my great-grandfather's lab!"

The good doctor took in a deep breath and, staring at X and the other reploids, who all nodded their agreement, finally conceded.

"Alright, son, you can come."

"Yay, this will be awesome!" Mikhail shouted, earning a good humored chuckle from most reploids present, Splash Woman included, but not from Nina and Alia, who were starting to worry the boy could catch a cold during the expedition.

"I just hope you keep your promise and stay with your brother. Now go with your mother and get your coat and hat," Viktor ordered, looking at his wife and nodding at her, smiling when she nodded back. "And bring your gloves, and boots… and a scarf or something to cover your face!"

=0=

"X seems to be closer to you than before," Nina observed while she was busy selecting Mikhail's best smart-coat. Mikhail was busy taking a shower, as his mother had insisted he was clean before they left. "Did you finally tell him how you feel?"

"No, I have not," Alia admitted with a sigh. "But I may tell him soon, if things keep going well… and you're right, sister, ever since the Oil Rig incident, he's been… frequenting me more than before. It's… it's nice."

"Well, I'm glad," Nina smiled. "For a while I thought Splash Woman would steal him from you, you know? I'm so relieved they discovered they are siblings."

"Yeah, me too," the navigator nodded. She looked out the window and noticed Splash Woman and Mega Man X walking together until they sat on a bench, where the two started a conversation.

" _I wonder what they're talking about,_ " Alia thought, but was distracted when her sister asked if she could help her pack some extra clothes for Mikhai. " _It's ok, I'm sure X will tell me later if it's important…_ "

=0=

"It'll take Viktor's crew a while to finish with the standard procedures before we can go," X said as he relaxed on his seat, his eyes going from the Bee Blader that was being refueled to the magnificent garden in front of him. "I heard they'll have to bring more food and water now that his son is coming too, just in case we have to stay out there longer than we planned to."

"All necessary precautions," Splash Woman said. "I'm glad he agreed to let you pilot the Blader, it saves me the trouble of sharing the location with anybody else but you."

"Well, Axl, Pallette, Nina and Alia will certainly keep it in their memory files once we're there," X reminded her. "And I'm sure Viktor will record it too first chance he gets."

"I know, but they're trustworthy," the Robot Master touched her chin with her index finger as she considered something. "And Viktor _is_ the rightful heir to the Cossack Citadel, after all."

"True."

"What is it that you wanted to talk about, X?" Splash Woman asked.

He took in a deep breath and the leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. Suddenly he didn't know if asking was a good idea, since he would be getting the answers he wanted pretty soon, or at least he hoped he would. Still, he needed to hear this from her, so he straightened and looked at Splash Woman.

"Tell me about the past," he requested, his voice low. "Why did you really get a land mode? You told me father wanted to improve your mobility, but not why."

The mermaid remained silent for a moment, pondering if she should tell X about the reason why she got her upgrade or not. In the end she decided he did deserve to know.

"Doctor Light's health was deteriorating," she revealed with a sad whisper. "Roll had been able to take care of him until then, but he feared she would need assistance at some point, and I volunteered."

"Father was ill?" he asked. "What was it?"

"Lung cancer, he never stopped smoking, X," Splash Woman sighed, an image of Doctor Light enjoying a smoke from his pipe entering her mind. "Medicine back then couldn't cure his condition, unlike now."

X nodded. Current medicine could deal with cancer thanks to improvements in nanotechnology and organ cloning procedures, medical breakthroughs that had been implemented only in the last decade or so.

"I'm sorry to hear that, it must have been painful for all Lightbots."

"It was. Our main concern was his health, but…" she made a pause, "We also feared without father present, someone could decide to retire all of us."

"Humans would consider doing that?"

"Yes. I told you once we were tools back then, didn't I?" Splash Woman recalled. "Tools can be discarded when they're no longer needed."

"But…"

"Doctor Cossack offered to take us all in if that ever happened, and his daughter Kalinka promised her family would always help Lightbots," the mermaid revealed then. "You can't imagine how relieved we all felt, and how grateful Doctor Light was."

"It seems we owe the Cossacks more than what I thought," X said after a moment. "I'm sure Viktor would like to know about that."

"Perhaps I'll tell him later," she smiled. "He's a nice man, isn't he? He reminds me of his forefather quite a bit."

"Sister… there's something else I want to ask," Mega Man X said.

"Of course, ask," she invited.

"You once said Doctor Wily wasn't genocidal. What does that mean? Was he really not as bad as history books describe?"

"Doctor Wily…" Splash Woman frowned and closed her eyes for a moment before feeling she was ready to continue. "I never liked him much before I met him, and I disliked him completely after he reprogrammed me and my friends… but I must admit he was not interested in killing humans. He just wanted to rule the world, and resorted to almost all means he could to achieve that objective, like kidnapping Kalinka Cossack, for example."

"How did he die?" X asked. "Did my predecessor…?"

"No, heavens, no," the mermaid said in alarm. "Rock would never hurt a human being, no."

"Then how?"

"Cancer, too," she said. "Gastric cancer to be precise; but unlike Doctor Light who got treatment and managed to live longer, Wily ignored his symptoms until it was too late."

"So he died alone?"

Splash Woman shook her head. "No, X, he didn't. Wily arrived to Light Labs one day, demanding he was allowed to see Doctor Light. He surrendered that day, you know?"

"What do you mean?"

"Only that he gave up. He was too sick to continue his Robot Rebellions by then. Wily even asked Doctor Light to call the police and didn't resist arrest," the Robot Master explained. "Once in jail Wily started talking with Doctor Light again, and they rekindled their friendship, if you can believe that."

"I can," X said.

"You're too kind, brother. Anyway, Wily knew he was dying, but his mind was still as sharp as ever," the mermaid indicated. "I don't know much about what he said to Doctor Light, but I do know the two of them perfected the memory transfer process at this point. Apparently, Wily and Light had both been toying with the idea at the same time, and together found a way to complete it. I do know Doctor Cossack got involved at some point, but I ignore what his contributions to this project were."

"So they devised the same technology separately at around the same time?"

"Both of them developed analog technologies quite often. Their space engines worked similarly but differed in size, for example," Splash Woman explained. "I do admit I never imagined the completed memory transfer process would be as advanced as what I saw in your capsules, X. I thought it would be simply video recording of a human's memories."

"Hearing all that is… extraordinary," X said, clearly impressed by his sister's words. "I always thought Wily was just a warmonger who couldn't compare to father."

"Oh, trust me, he could," Splash Woman said as she remembered what she had discovered about Zero. "He really could, as much as I loathe admitting it."

"And after he died? I know he had these… Skull Castles and an army of active Wilybots at the time, didn't he?" X asked, recalling Sigma had hidden inside one of those Castles' ruins during the fifth Maverick Uprising. "What happened to those Skull Fortresses?"

"After Wily died?" the mermaid shuddered at the memories, her mood turning suddenly dark. "It was bad, _really_ bad. You see…. Wily said he deactivated all his Wilybots before surrendering. He even told the authorities the location of his remaining Skull Castles, and used a remote to have them all self-destruct."

"I see… and what happened next?"

"Two days after Wily died, all Wilybots attacked," Splash Woman said. She brought her hands up her arms, feeling unexpectedly cold. "They told us Wily didn't destroy two Skull Castles, and when the main computers in those remaining ones received notice about his death… they reactivated his remaining Robot Masters."

"But why would they attack you?" Asked X, his voice full of concern. "Without Wily they should have been peaceful, wouldn't they?"

"They couldn't help it," she explained, looking up to the clouds with sad eyes. "Doctor Wily's passing triggered a command that caused all his robots to go violently crazy, forcing them to complete his final orders: ' _Destroy all Lightbots, make sure no more are built_ '. That madman always planned to unleash his final revenge from beyond the grave."

"But…" X went over his files to look for information about the Wilybots, setting on an image in particular. "What about Bass? I have records that he rebelled against Wily on occasion."

Splash Woman tensed and her lips pursed as she heard that name.

"Bass…" she hissed, cold fury evident in her voice as she repeated the name. "Doctor Wily's last command drove that bastard completely insane… the things he did to us are unforgivable!"

Mega Man X was surprised by Splash Woman's reaction, he couldn't really imagine what terrible things Bass had done to earn this much hatred.

"Did this command you mention started the Robot Master War?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Splash Woman's words explained quite well the horrible event which caused the world government to halt and ban production of Robot Masters, a ban that remained in place until Reploid construction was authorized.

"Yes. The ' _Robot Master War_ ' mentioned in your historical records," Splash Woman said, still visibly upset. "I read about it when I researched why no more Robot Masters were around. I noticed you don't have any information regarding what happened to us; only that this event ensured no more Robot Masters were built. They didn't even write our names, just our numbers. It's as if they wanted us to be forgotten!"

"I'm sorry," X said reaching for her and holding her close, feeling glad his embrace seemed to be helping her calm down. "But I'm here for you, sister, and I care for you, I always will."

"Thank you, X… it's just that… I miss _him_ …" she whispered then, burying her face in his chest. "I miss him so much it hurts, and seeing him forgotten like this… it's…"

"You're talking about him again, aren't you? Blues. Proto Man," X said, letting Splash Woman go and observing how she left her seat, walking two steps before turning to look back at him. She was crying now, something that he also thought was not possible for her.

"Yes… yes, I am talking about him," she admitted, bringing her hand up to dry her tears. "I think about him every day, X. I can't forget him, Blues was…"

X observed Splash Woman and finally understood why she remembered Proto Man with such intensity. She didn't think of him only because she admired him. She was acting like a widow! But was that even possible? Robot Masters were not supposed to… No, it was entirely possible, he decided. He knew Splash Woman well enough now to accept she was capable of experiencing real emotions. But, how and when?

"You and Blues…" he started, going to her, hoping asking about this wouldn't force her remember painful past events.

"Yes," she said with a nod, her voice low and pained by memories of her lost love. "We were together. We were the first Robot Masters to share such a relationship, and it was good."

"Did… did father know?"

"He did, but he never approved or disapproved of it," Splash Woman said. "Doctor Light only said what we had gave him an idea, but I never knew what it was."

"The Bee Blader is ready!" Pallette announced from the edge of the garden, not realizing she was interrupting an important conversation.

X stared at his sister and understanding she was not going to talk more about her relationship with Proto Man, finally turned to look at the young navigator. "Thank you Pallette, we'll be there in a minute."

=0=

Notes:

If there is one thing I wanted to clear was the reason why there are no Robot Masters in X's time. I figured something really bad had happened to stop their production, and I finally got the chance to reference it here.

There are hints at important things that will happen in future chapters as well, but they will be revealed soon.

Thanks for reading!


	49. Chapter 49

~ 49 ~

Splash Woman sat in silence, looking at the others as the Blader flew over the frozen Russian wilderness. Axl and Pallette were together, chatting amiably about some recent events in the Marverick Hunters base. Viktor and his wife were happily talking with their son, who was absorbing all the information he was receiving with great attention. X and Alia were together in the cockpit, and she knew they were discussing the expedition. That left her with no one to talk to, but it was alright. She didn't need to or felt like talking.

Right then all she wanted was to think, to think about Doctor Light and the other Lightbots, but in particular, she wanted to think about him.

Proto Man.

 _Her_ Blues.

She removed her helmet and initiated a subroutine to simulate sleep so she could save energy as she focused on her memories. Once she was comfortable enough, the mermaid leaned back and closed her eyes, letting her recordings of the past she now missed so much fill her mind.

…

 _The coral reef was a beautiful place and she enjoyed work there_.

Splash Woman was in charge of supervising the robotic fish that kept the area clean, a nice secondary activity to her main one, which was monitoring the routes of luxury yachts that often crossed the area so that tourists could look at the corals. There had been accidents in the past and it was her duty to prevent any fatal casualties, but so far she had not seen any incidents, and for that she was glad.

She sat on her trident and started singing, gathering the robotic fish around her, using her song to issue a series of commands to the little machines. It was not something she had been designed for, as she could simply use her RMF to instruct the robots, but for her this was far more enjoyable.

That is when she felt a disturbance in the waters to her right, her sonar letting her know someone had teleported to the area.

Expecting to see Roll, Rock or even another Robot Master from her line like Jewel Man, she turned quickly, only to find Proto Man standing on the ocean floor below. He looked up to her and waited in silence. He obviously wanted her to approach him.

Confused by his presence, she did just that.

"You are Proto Man," Splash Woman told him. "Why are you here… is there something wrong?"

"No. I just wanted to meet you," he answered. "You are the only Robot Master from Light's new series that I haven't talked to."

"Oh… so that is why," she circled him slowly, controlling her speed with careful swipes of her caudal fin so she could better see all of him, feeling extremely curious about the first and oldest Robot Master. "Cool shield."

"Thank you," Blues responded, turning to face her. "You are different from what I imagined; your schematics indicated that you would be a male type robot, not a female. I didn't see the last update to your design, so I was… not sure what I would find here."

"Ah, yes, Ocean Man," she said with a chuckle. "Doctor Light thought Roll could use another female Robot Master to talk to, and he still wants to build Ocean Man someday, probably as part of the next line he's already designing."

"The next line includes a prototype with the 'Brick Man' codename, right?" He recalled. "I'm not too familiar with it. It's still a few years away from being completed, I'm sure the current names will probably change, too."

"I know," she then smiled at him. "What you said about me being different from what you imagined… was that a compliment?"

"A compliment?" He appeared to be confused by her words. "Well, if you want to take it that way…"

"It would be the first one I receive," she smiled. "That would make it special."

"I see. Well… a compliment it is, then. So, how are you doing?" Blues asked her as he reached for his scarf to keep the current from dragging it away. "You were activated only a month ago and you've been working here all by yourself since then. Are you dealing well with isolation? It can be difficult for new Robot Masters."

"I'm ok, I have my robot fish and people in the nearby Lighthouse make me company, and nothing bad has happened ever since Rock arrested Doctor Wily," Splash Woman reported. "In fact, Doctor Light said that Wily being behind bars was the main reason why he decided to finally finish and activate me and the other Robot Masters in my line."

"I don't think Wily will stay imprisoned permanently," Proto Man disputed, looking up as he crossed his arms. "The man is devilishly clever."

"You think so?"

"Yes, I'm actually trying to find any hidden bases he may have," he told her. "Because I'm sure he has an escape plan ready. I wish I was wrong, but…"

"I'll be on the lookout," she promised. "If I see something, I'll call you."

"You don't have my frequency."

" _I will if you give it to me," she said, offering him a friendly smile._

…

Splash Woman stretched and opened her eyes, remembering the first time she met Blues having lightened her mood a little. She looked around and realized nobody had noticed her napping.

Her inner clock told her she had been 'sleeping' for less than five minutes. Deciding she had time to keep looking at her memory files, the Robot Master leaned back on her seat and again closed her eyes, searching for another memory of Blues that she held dear.

…

 _The mermaid emerged from the waters and allowed the waves to carry her to the shore._

She stopped when her torso was completely out of the water, as going further would leave her stranded and she would have to unceremoniously drag herself around, something she was not going to do. She heard his whistling and her eyes moved left. He was indeed there, sitting on the stone carved steps that climbed all the way to the nearby Lighthouse.

"Why don't you come out of the water?" he asked her, raising his voice above the sound of the waves. "We can't talk like this."

"I won't go there," she answered, not moving from where she was. "I'm not going to crawl to where you are. It would be too embarrassing!"

She fully expected him to stay there and wait until she decided to come out of the sea, but no, he simply stood up and walked to her. Before she could ask what he was doing, he reached for her and picked her up, carrying her bridal style to the beach.

"There, this should do," he said as he carefully placed her on the sand so he could sit next to her.

The mermaid was not sure how to react, all she knew was that her core was sending energy pulses all over her body in strangely erratic patterns, which made her worry as she believed she could be malfunctioning. She returned to normal little by little, and was relieved when her systems indicated she was operating normally.

"You'll have to carry me back," she whispered shyly. "What… what did you need?"

"I need to talk. It's important."

"It better be, I'm busy monitoring trade routes in case a Wilybot decides to attack any ships," she explained, feeling calmer now. She made a pause and then continued. "Who would have thought Wily had a set of Robot Masters ready to help him escape? He is as clever as you said."

"It's unlikely any ships will be attacked. There are no Wilybots optimized for sea operation in this new set," Blues indicated with a shrug. "Well… it seems Burst Man can fight underwater, but he's apparently not optimized to function in the ocean. Things should be safe here for now."

"Hey, something could happen, you never know!" she huffed, feeling slightly offended. "Do you think I couldn't deal with a Wilybot on my own?"

"Maybe you could, I don't know," he said. "That isn't why I called you, however."

"Then why did you?"

"I need you," he admitted. "I have a problem and I need a different point of view. And no, I can't ask Roll, it would only worry her further, I couldn't do that to her."

"I see… well, I'm not sure if I can help you, but I'll try. Tell me about it."

"There is this new Robot Master going around. Says he wants to help us stop Doctor Wily," Proto Man stated. "But I think there's something strange about him… I don't think he's being honest and I fear he might decide to attack Rock at some point."

"I see, but wouldn't Mega Man be able to defend himself if that happens?" She asked.

"I don't know. Rock tends to trust people rather easily. This new guy, Bass… he could take advantage of that," Blues made a pause. "But on the other hand I may be wrong and he is indeed on our side. If I'm not careful I might end up hurting Rock's chances of making a new friend, and I wouldn't like that."

"It is indeed complicated," she sighed and looked at the sea, as if asking it for an answer. "I think you shouldn't tell Mega Man of your suspicions if you think it would hurt his budding friendship with this Bass. But in the chances that he does attack Rock… then maybe you could try to give him something that would even the odds, something that could protect his back, maybe?"

"Give him something to protect his back?" Blues reached for his shield, touching it briefly. He then smiled and offered Splash Woman a nod. "Yeah, I could do that. Thank you."

"You're welcome…" she was about to say something else, but he picked her up again. "What are you doing?"

"You said I would have to carry you back, didn't you?" he told her as he entered the cold water.

He stopped when he was hip deep in the sea and then slowly lowered her into the waves.

"Thank you…"

"No, thank you," he smiled. "I think I know what to do now. I'll tell you how things went later."

Saying nothing else, Proto Man teleported away, leaving her feeling a little perplexed.

" _I'll be waiting," she murmured, wondering if the emotions she experienced while he carried her were normal, and debating if she should tell Doctor Light about them._

…

"Mikhail, come back to your seat," Nina Cossack ordered.

"But I wanna seat with Axl and Pallette," the boy pouted.

"Did you at least ask your bother if you can?" his mother questioned with a stern look.

"It's ok, Nina, I don't mind," Axl assured. "And you, Pallette?"

"Not at all, he can sit with us," the young navigator smiled and poked her boyfriend's chest. "And I'm sure Mikhail really wants to talk to Axl."

Splash Woman blinked, observed how the Cossacks interacted with a pleased smile and then went back to her 'sleep' mode, accessing another memory that she was also particularly fond of.

…

 _The Lighthouse could be seen from the rock where she was sitting, less than half a mile from the seashore. The waves lapped gently at the stone under her, and she started humming a song that followed their rhythm._

He was a little late but it was alright, her schedule was free now so she could wait until he arrived. And he did, almost two minutes after their appointed time, something a little unusual as she had heard from Roll that Blues was fond of punctuality.

"You called me," he said after materializing behind her. "Is there something wrong?"

"Why, hello to you too," she answered, one eyebrow up.

"Oh, sorry; hello, Splash," Blues corrected, noticing not greeting her had been a little rude. "What do you need?"

"You said you would tell me how things went later," she reminded him. "And it's been two weeks since Rock ended Wily's latest Robot Rebellion. So what did you do to help Mega Man?"

"Oh, it's only that," he said with a chuckle while he sat next to her.

"Yes, that," she smiled. "So what happened?"

"I forgot to tell you," he admitted. "I was busy doing something important. And about your question, I lent Rock my shield. Turns out it did help him fight Bass."

"I heard about it from Roll," the mermaid nodded. "Bass, a Wilybot that is apparently not specialized, isn't that a first?"

"In a way, yes, it is."

"He must be like you and Rock, isn't he?" Splash Woman asked. "Is he as strong as you two?"

"…I'm not sure how strong Bass actually is," Blues sighed. "But from what I've gathered he's strong enough to match Rock in combat."

"Does he have something like your Variable Weapon System, too?"

"I don't know…" Proto Man made a pause and then asked. "Why are you asking me so many questions about him?"

"I'm just curious, that's all," she answered, then spent a moment observing him. "Can you remove your helmet for me?"

"Why?"

"Because I am also curious about you," Splash Woman answered. "I'm in fact so curious I would like to see your face, and your eyes."

Proto Man remained silent for almost a full minute.

"I… I guess you earned it. You did give me good advice before," he sighed. "But…"

"Yes?"

"I'll take my helmet and glasses off only if you do it, too."

"Deal," she smiled, pleased that she would get to see how he looked behind that mask.

"You first," he said.

The mermaid nodded and removed her helmet with one hand, untying her shiny ultramarine hair with the other.

"It's your turn, Proto Man."

"Very well," Blues took in a deep breath and then removed both his helmet and glasses, revealing his face to the expectant mermaid.

"You… you look older than Rock," she said, studying his features with great attention, finding him surprisingly pleasant to look at. "You look about my age, actually."

"I'm supposed to," Blues told her. "That is why I'm also taller than Rock."

"You're a handsome boy, you know?" Splash Woman smiled, then chuckled at how Proto Man's face went red. "It's the truth."

"Well… thanks?" he said, putting his helmet and shades back on. "I guess you are, too. I do like your hair."

"I'm what, handsome?" she laughed goodheartedly. "Oh, Blues, that's not what you say to a girl. You are supposed to tell girls they're cute!"

"I'll remember that next time," he told her. "I do have to go, until next time."

 _And so, Proto Man teleported away, leaving Splash Woman feeling strangely satisfied by this short encounter._

…

She opened her eyes when her RMC Field notified her that a strange mechaniloid was flying near the Bee Blader. Confused, she looked out the window to see a bird shaped robot that easily kept up with them. She wasn't familiar with this type of machine, and thought it was strange it had decided to follow them.

"It's a Metal Wing," Viktor Cossack said once he noticed what Splash Woman was looking at. "They are surveillance robots. It's inoffensive, don't worry about it."

"I see, they're very fast," she appreciated, observing as the metallic bird seemed to lose interest in them, switching directions with a graceful and fast spin.

"Yes, they are," Viktor agreed. "Would you like me to transmit their specs to you?"

"Thank you, but no," she said and hid a yawn with her palm. "Would you mind if I try to sleep again, Doctor Cossack? I want to preserve as much energy as I can."

"Of course not, please do," Viktor said, returning to the book he was reading.

Splash Woman smiled and relaxed on her seat and closed her eyes again, accessing another memory file.

…

 _They were once again on their rock, sitting so they were leaning on each other's back. Splash Woman found this to be comfortable, if a bit strange, and was trying to understand why he suggested they did it in the first place._

She wanted to ask about it, but in the end decided it was a silly question. Besides, there were other things she wanted to talk to him about more.

"I'm glad that you're fixed," she said after another moment of silence. "Roll told me you received extensive damage during your battle with King."

"It was not that bad," he corrected. "I lost my legs, but that's all. Doctor Light had no trouble repairing me."

"Did he finally fix your Power Core?"

She felt him tense against her back.

"No. He would have to do a complete deactivation to do it," Proto Man explained. "And I don't want to risk Doctor Light looking into my programming more than necessary. I fear…"

"What?"

"I fear he may do something that erases who I am," he said in a low voice. "I know he wouldn't do it on purpose, but… I can't chance it."

"I would like it if your Power Core was fixed," Splash Woman admitted, "maybe one day?"

"Yeah, maybe one day."

Silence.

"What happened to King?" the mermaid asked. "Was he destroyed?"

"No, he survived and is now travelling the world," Proto Man said. "Sent a post card to Rock and all that. It seems he's going to be a good bot from now on."

"Well, I still think he looks scary," Splash Woman shook her head. "I just don't really like him."

Silence again.

Splash Woman didn't like it, she feared he was losing interest in her, and that made her feel strangely empty. Taking in a deep breath, she turned so her chest was pressed to his back and then placed her hands on his shoulders. She noticed he tensed again, but he relaxed fairly quickly.

"Please don't stop visiting me, ok?" She told him, leaning forward so she could whisper it to him. "I enjoy your weekly visits, Blues, you always cheer me up."

"I'll keep dropping by," he promised. "Don't worry."

" _Good, because you are good company," Splash Woman asserted. "And I like having you around."_

…

Axl's screaming a loud 'Yeah!' startled her. Wondering what was going on, the mermaid opened her eyes to see the black armored hunter playing some sort of board game with Mikhail, Nina and Pallette. Going from what she could hear, Axl was very close to winning and he wasn't trying to hide his excitement at all.

Splash Woman sighed. Seeing this moment of peace and bonding between a human child and three machines was something she still had trouble getting used to. Back in her times most humans were nice to Robot Masters but only few ever saw them as family or friends. If only things had been like this a century in the past…

Closing her eyes again, Splash Woman could not help but to relive a very painful memory.

…

 _The dark clouds above her blocking almost all sunlight mimicked her mood perfectly, the strong winds sweeping over the shore and the strong waves around her rock reflecting the inner chaos that threatened to overload her core programming._

"You are not answering my calls," someone said, his voice rising above the waves.

She didn't turn to face him. He was exempt from the tragedy threatening her very existence, and she considered that to be absolutely unfair.

[ _I don't want to talk to you, Blues. Please leave._ ]

She hoped transmitting that message in binary would be enough for him to leave her alone. But he instead sent her this.

[ _Doctor Light is trying to revoke the new law, don't lose hope yet._ ]

The mermaid's shoulders slumped in despair.

[ _You only say that because you, Rock, Roll and the first six are all exempt from the new law._ ]

She turned to see him, surprised by how close he was. She had estimated he stood at the other end of their rock. Noticing he was not going to say anything, she sent another message.

[ _But what about me and the other seven in my line, Blues? We will be turned to scrap!_ ]

He had the decency of lowering his face and appearing to be ashamed. Then, taking advantage the wind and waves had died down, said this:

"You won't. Doctor Light won't let it happen, there are many other scientists supporting him. Doctor Cossack is also against this law. Do you think he wants to lose his Cossackbots?"

"No, but I don't think they will be able to stop the new law," she disputed, anguish evident in her voice, an oddity amongst Robot Masters as very few could modulate their voiceboxes that way. "I know there are other scientists helping Doctor Light and Doctor Cossack; like Doctor Lalinde from Geoworks, Doctor Kouin from the Chronos Institute and Doctor Astil from the Mechplant Development Center. But they are all Doctor Light's friends, the Government and the UN won't take them seriously."

"Even if they fail, you and the rest of your line don't have to do what the humans say."

"We have to! We are not like you, Proto Man," Splash Woman lamented. "We are bound by the Three Laws of Robotics, we can't disobey any orders the humans give us… this is so unfair… all I want is to have a purpose and help them… why would they do this to us?"

" _I don't know. Humans are an unpredictable lot," He said, placing his hand on her shoulder._

…

Unpredictable… yes, Splash Woman had to admit that was true. Humans were unpredictable. But now the Reploid kind was unpredictable as well; almost as unpredictable as mankind was.

Yes, humans were quick to make choices and then change their minds. Otherwise they would not have revoked the law after the ninth Robot Rebellion. She frowned as she recalled Wily reprogramming her and her seven friends, a hated memory file she swiftly pushed back to its corresponding folder to instead open a different one dated a few days after that incident.

…

 _Auto nodded and put his camera back in his bag, promising Splash Woman he would send her the pictures once he had downloaded the data to his computer in the lab. That done, he asked if she wanted him to carry her to the sea but she refused, claiming she wanted to sit under the sun for a while longer._

"You're here," Blues observed.

"I said I would be," she answered.

"Where are Auto and Roll?"

"They already left, Roll wanted to make sure Doctor Light takes his medicine. His throat seems to be sore all the time these days."

"That's because he smokes," Proto Man said, sitting next to her. "He really should drop the habit."

"I know, and I agree."

"How are you feeling, Splash?"

"Like a new robot," she smiled, her face beaming with joy. "I'm happy. The law was revoked and Doctor Light repaired me and got me a new purpose working as an assistant to Mega City's Coast Rescue Team."

"That's good, I'm glad you and the others will have new purposes," Proto Man said. "Hornet Man and Plug Man were very happy with their new assignments."

"You visited the others first?" She pouted.

"That way I can spend more time talking to you," he indicated.

"Oh… then I guess I can overlook you didn't see me first." She chuckled and then leaned forward so that her shoulder touched his. "Would you have missed me if I had been permanently retired?"

"…Yes, I would have," he admitted after a few moments of silence.

"I'm glad to hear you say that," the mermaid whispered to him. "I'm glad to know you would have remembered me."

"Splash Woman… can you sing something for me?"

"I could," she straightened and stared at him. "Why?"

"I want to hear you sing."

"I can't think of any songs that you may like."

"Can you do something with this?" he asked whistling his signature tune for her to hear.

" _Yes, I think I can," she said and joined him, producing her harp and vocalizing as she followed the rhythm set by him, helping him create a relaxing and enthralling melody._

…

The mermaid sighed as the memory ended. She had recorded the song she and Blues had created that afternoon, and wondered if X would like to hear it someday. Perhaps she would play it for him after the expedition.

" _I'm sure he will appreciate it,_ " she thought with a soft smile.

Feeling certain her younger brother would like the song, she decided to look into another memory file, one that she hadn't accessed more than two times before.

…

" _You can leave me here, Guts Man," Splash Woman said, pointing at the iron bench in the middle of Doctor Light's garden. "I want to relax a little and this place looks nice."_

"Are ya sure this is fine?" the hulking Robot Master asked while carefully placing the mermaid on the bench. "I don' mind carryin' ya further, Splash, you know it."

"I'm sure, thank you," she smiled. "I'll call you if I need to go somewhere else."

"Alright, I'll keep my frequency open, then," Guts Man said and returned to the lab.

Once alone, Splash Woman closed her eyes and leaned back on her seat. She never thought something as problematic as the Roboenza virus could exist, but felt glad her creator had found a way to permanently counter it.

"How are your systems responding to the Roboenza Protocol?" Blues asked as he approached her. He was just coming out of the laboratory, and was busy strapping his shield to his back.

"The update and the new software are running smoothly," she said, moving to the side so he could sit next to her. "I'm amazed, this anti-virus is decades ahead of everything else I've seen."

"Yes, it indeed is," he agreed.

"How are your systems handling it?"

"I haven't installed it yet," Proto Man confessed.

"What?" She frowned. "Why haven't you?"

"I have it here," he answered, showing her a memory chip. "I'll install it on my own later."

"Why didn't you let Doctor Light install it?"

"He would have to deactivate me to do that."

"You can be so stubborn sometimes," the mermaid sighed.

"I do have to take this to the Cossackbots," he told her, showing her a second chip. "I'll just install it after I've delivered the anti-virus to Doctor Cossack."

"Please do that," she said. "There may still be traces of the Roboenza virus around and you could get infected again."

"You're going to make me think you actually worry about me," he teased.

"I do worry!" she exclaimed. "I worry about you more that what my programming considers logical or reasonable and I… I just can't understand why that happens."

"You worry that much?" he stared at her and then smiled. "I am glad to hear that."

"You do?" Her eyebrows knit in confusion. "You do realize I could be malfunctioning? I shouldn't have been so worried about you when I heard you got sick, it kept me from focusing on my work!"

"You aren't malfunctioning," he assured. "It simply means that you care about me."

The mermaid blinked, considered his words and then took off her helmet like she normally did when she was concerned over something.

"Of course I care," she sighed, her eyes never leaving him. "I feel different when I'm with you… I don't feel like this with anybody else, it's… strange, I should not have the capacity for this, but…"

"There is nothing wrong with you," he insisted, taking off his helmet and shades. "Because maybe I feel like you do."

"Maybe? But then that means…?"

He nodded and offered a sly smile.

"Blues, you're impossible!" she chuckled. "But I'm glad you feel like this, too. It means I'm not the only one."

She sighed, smiled and leaned on his shoulder, simply enjoying being close to him.

"You know, this actually feels nice," he admitted. "I kind of like it."

"This is completely unprecedented. Never in all my years…"

Splash Woman turned to meet her creator and felt as if she was about to overheat.

"Doctor… Doctor Light!" She stammered. "I… I swear this is not what it looks like, we…"

"Please, calm down. You didn't do anything wrong, Splash Woman," the old scientist said with a gentle tone. "This is in fact an amazing development. I would like to talk to you both and…"

"I'm sorry, I can't stay and talk. I have to go see Doctor Cossack," Blues said as he stood up, nodding at Splash Woman after he put his helmet back on. "I'll see you later, Splash. I promise."

"Blues, wait, I just want to…" Light started.

"I must go to Russia, you asked me to give the Roboenza Protocol to the Cossackbots," Proto Man interrupted. "I'll go do it now."

And saying nothing more, Proto Man teleported away before his creator could try to dissuade him.

"Please don't be angry at him," the mermaid said. "He's…"

"He is fully independent, free of the Three Laws of Robotics," the scientist completed. "I'm already used to Blues being able to disobey orders, don't worry, I'm not angry."

"Doctor Light…" Splash Woman called after a moment of silence, her voice shy and doubtful.

"Yes, child?"

"How much of our conversation did you listen?"

"Most of it," the scientist revealed as he reached for his pipe and a box of matches, "did… did you mean it when you said you feel different when you are with Blues?"

"Yes, Doctor. But I can't… I can't explain or understand why."

"It could be the empathy protocol I gave you to better relate with the people you rescue, but I doubt it. No, this is truly unprecedented," Light repeated, thoughtfully staring at his pipe. "You two having this sort of relationship is completely exceptional. And… it does give me an idea, something that I didn't previously consider for that other project."

"Will you need our help for that, Doctor?" Splash Woman asked and then quickly added. "What Blues and I are doing… is it bad?

" _Bad?" the old man smiled and placed a reassuring hand over the mermaid's shoulder. "No, it isn't bad. And don't worry; I'll let you know if I need your help."_

…

Splash Woman opened her eyes again and looked out the window, wondering if the project Doctor Light had mentioned then was X. She felt certain that was the case now, and knowing that she and Blues had somehow influenced X's creation made her feel satisfied, and even prideful. It helped her believe her existence was justified in this future world, and that she could belong here even if she was not as advanced as Reploids were.

"We'll arrive to the coordinates Splash Woman gave us soon," Alia announced. "Our ETA is ten minutes."

"Good, thank you Alia," Viktor Cossack said, his obvious excitement only barely hidden under his calm demeanor.

Viktor really was like his ancestor, Splash Woman decided. Viktor had the same love for family, science and tradition, the same bright mind, the same willingness to help a friend as best as he could. It pleased her to see the spirit of the Doctor Cossack she knew had lived on.

But thinking about this triggered a memory of the war; the war and one of her last moments with him.

…

 _She observed how Auto and Rock helped Blues load the Light Capsule into the boat and then lower it through the cargo hatch._

It had been several hours since they left port, Splash Woman was now sitting on the portside rails, keeping her sonar active to detect suspicious activity below them. There were still two aquatic Wilybots active, and she didn't want them to try a surprise attack, not during this mission.

Her mind was busy thinking about the things Blues and Rock had discussed back in port, and she wondered if King could still be dissuaded from doing what he was threatening to do.

"Can you detect anything strange below us?" Blues asked as he walked out of the wheelhouse and climbed down to where she was. "The ship's not picking up anything and the cold weather here isn't helping much. But your sonar is better than what this old boat has, so…"

"Nothing," she said. "And I'm glad. I don't want to fight anymore."

"None of us want to," he assured her, his eyes set on the horizon.

"What are you thinking about?"

"The future," Proto Man said. His voice was serious and tired. "Until now I always thought I would be there somehow, I was even starting to think about asking Doctor Light to fix my Power Core. But now it's all uncertain, I don't know what is going to happen, things right now are worse than the time Wily unleashed the Dark Energy "Zero" Virus…"

"Everything will be alright, you'll see," she assured him with a soft smile. "And then you'll be fixed, and I'll be there for you."

Blues nodded and stood there in silence, staring at the ocean.

"I have something for you," he said suddenly, opening a small compartment in his arm.

"What's that?" She gasped once she saw he held a silver necklace, hanging from it a shiny seashell shaped pendant. "It's… it's so pretty!"

"I'm glad you like it," he seemed pleased. "I had some Zenny and I thought this would look good on you."

"Could you please?" the mermaid asked, staring at him with expectant eyes.

"Sure, let me…"

Blues got closer and placed the necklace around her neck. He then slowly dropped his hands to his sides, admiring her.

"Does it look good on me?"

"Yes, it does, it matches your shoulder pieces quite well," he noted.

"I noticed," she sighed and beamed at him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Blues… we may not have much time left, and there's something I want to try…" Splash Woman started, made a short pause, breathed deeply to steel her resolve and then continued. "Something humans do. I want to do that with you."

"Something humans do?" he asked. "And what is it you want to do?"

"I… I want to press my lips against yours," Splash Woman confessed, blushing fiercely.

"That's what humans call a kiss."

 _"I know," the mermaid whispered, reaching for his shoulders so she could lean forward and bring her mouth to his._

…

Splash Woman felt the Blader started descending, so she opened her eyes to find everyone around her smiling and looking out at something down below with great excitement.

She followed their example and found what had her friends in awe.

Under the Bee Blader, rising majestically to meet the sky stood an imposing and still perfectly conserved structure.

The long believed lost and destroyed Cossack Citadel.

=0=

Notes:

The scientists mentioned in one of Splash Woman's memories are from the Mega Man comic book published by Archie Comics, I put them in because wanted to give it a quick nod. That book was a great adaptation and it's a shame it got cancelled so quickly.

Something else I want to say is that one of my reviewers, MitternachtWuten, recently started working on a story inspired by mine titled _"Living Time Machine"_ he's doing a great job giving his take on the concept of Splash Woman awakening in the future its own feel and identity, give it a chance, I'm sure you'll be surprised!


	50. Chapter 50

~ 50 ~

The group walked slowly through the snowy terrain. They had left the Blader half a kilometer away from the Citadel to avoid any possible defenses that were still active and because they had to find a clearing large enough for them to land. They had been lucky on both counts, and now were making their way back to the old construction, which could be seen from time to time between the trees as they approached it.

X and Alia walked front, Splash Woman and Nina on the sides while Axl and Pallete covered the rear. In the middle of this formation so they could receive adequate protection walked Viktor and Mikhail Cossack, who being only human, were the most vulnerable members of the expedition to the elements and to possible hostile mechaniloids or robots.

This precaution ended up being unnecessary, as the group traversed the forest without any dangerous incidents. Mikhail got tired soon, however, and had to be carried by his father for most of the way until they reached the large open area where the Citadel awaited.

Surrounded by large trees, four majestic turrets crowning the corners of its imposing walls and the tall, main tower rising in its center stood the magnificent Cossack Citadel; a remnant of times long gone that had witnessed a fair share of history unfold around it.

"It still exists, that my family's Citadel still stands…" Viktor Cossack said as he took in his family's legacy, his voice trembling with pride. "Only now, standing so close to it can I believe it."

"You mean that big old castle is really ours, dad?" Mikhail asked, his eyes never leaving the fortress. He knew that his great-grandfather used to live here, but he hadn't realized that meant his family owned it, at least not until now.

"According to the information I have it is over three hundred years old," Splash Woman provided taking a step forward. "It has always been the property of the Cossack family as well so yes, little one, it is yours."

"…That's awesome!" the boy exclaimed running around his father. "You heard dad? We own a castle!"

"Yes, son, I heard," Viktor smiled and then beamed at his wife and his older son, "The Cossacks have finally returned to their ancestral home. Come, Nina, Axl, let's see if we can find a way in."

=0=

The massive iron gates were imposing and, much to the party's disappointment, completely sealed. The control panel on the wall was not operational and not even Splash Woman was able to interface with the ports under it, as they discovered they were also damaged.

"Well, at least the Citadel's defenses are also offline," Nina offered, staring at her datapad as she tried to download a list of maps of similar structures hoping that would be useful, but she discovered it was impossible. "I can't get any signals here. We're completely cut off."

"Something is jamming our communicators," Pallette explained with a note of concern. "I just tried to reach HQ, but I can't."

"Do you have any idea what's happening?" X asked Splash Woman, who seemed to be completely unsurprised about this strange turn of events.

"Doctor Cossack installed a powerful electromagnetic disruptor after his daughter was kidnapped to prevent others from locating this castle," she recalled. The Robot Master crossed her arms and then added, "I'm afraid it won't let you do anything communication wise as long as you're near. It also cloaks the Citadel from radars and satellites so we won't be able to get visual assistance from HQ either. I didn't think the disruptor would still be functioning after more than a century. I would have noticed earlier, but I had no need to use my sonar so I had no way to know."

"Alia, can you use your flight mode to look around the Citadel?" Viktor asked. "You may be able to find another entrance."

"Yes, of course. Please wait here, I'll be back soon," the senior navigator agreed. She then jumped high, summoned her Wyndia Armor and flew up to surround the fortress.

"She'll be alright," Splash Woman offered after perceiving X's evident concern.

=0=

The first thing Alia noticed upon closer inspection was the Citadel was very well preserved. She had landed on the roof near the base of the main tower, hoping to find an entrance there. She did find a door, but it was locked, and she couldn't find any way to open it. No control panel, no lock, nothing. Her sensors weren't working properly either due to the strong electromagnetic interference protecting the castle. Her optics and audio receptors were the only ways she had to obtain information, and she was surprised when she understood this was how humans experienced the world around them. For humans to be able to build all they had being limited to only this… it was truly remarkable.

A sound behind her caught her attention and she spun quickly, but she saw nothing. Intrigued, she walked towards where the sound came from, behind an old rocket launcher, but there was nothing there.

"What is going on?" she murmured as she looked left and right, still finding nothing.

Deciding it was better to go back with the group, Alia took off again, wondering what had caused that strange noise. Had she waited a little, she would have seen an old Telly floating out from under the rocket launcher. The little can shaped robot set its eyes on the winged stranger, blinked to take a photograph and then entered the Citadel through a small gap that opened in the walls to grant it access.

=0=

She returned to find Axl and Mikhail were busy building a snow reproduction of the citadel, which meant Axl had agreed to look after his brother. Pallette and Nina were talking, they both held datapads and appeared to still be trying to get a signal. X and Splash Woman were near the entrance, talking while she pointed at some of the windows on the walls. Viktor Cossack was alone, standing still right in front of the tall main gates.

"Did you find something?" X asked when she landed next to him.

"I'm sorry, no," she said. "Everything is sealed."

"X could use a charged shot to…" Axl started, joining the conversation.

"No, I don't want to damage the Citadel," Viktor said from where he stood. "There must be a way to get in…"

"I do hope we find it quickly," Nina sighed, her eyes on the clouds above. "Because it seems we'll be getting snow soon."

"Do you really not know how to get in?" Viktor asked, staring at Splash Woman with hope filled eyes. "You are the only one of us who knew my great grandfather, there must be something in your memory files that can help us find a way in."

"I never visited the Cossack Citadel," Splash Woman admitted, performing a search for all the information she had regarding the Cossack family. "I do know your ancestor implemented a biometric security system in his factory shortly before the Robot Master War, but I don't know how it worked or if he decided to use it here."

"It's surely not working in that case," Pallette offered. "A biometric system should have recognized Doctor Cossack's DNA signature the moment he approached the gates."

"You can identify a human's DNA signature without a blood or tissue sample?" Splash Woman asked. "We couldn't do that back in my time; I didn't know that technology existed now."

"Yes, we can do that," Nina confirmed.

"It does help somehow," Viktor said after a moment of silence. His knowledge of ancient machines useful again, he decided that he now knew what to do. He just hoped it worked. "I'm going to try something."

Saying nothing more, he removed his gloves, cold wind biting his skin immediately.

"You're going to freeze your fingers," Nina said alarmed. "Put your gloves back on!"

"In a second," Viktor said and placed both hands on the gates. The metallic surface was extremely cold, and he felt his skin sticking to it painfully.

And then, the metal started warming, allowing him to remove his hands. The heavy metallic doors trembled once and then, very slowly, they opened.

"Just as I imagined," Viktor declared while putting his gloves back on. "The whole door is a biometric panel. But it works only by touch."

"You're great, dad!" Mikhail approved, reaching for his father's hand, smiling proudly at him. "I knew you could do it!"

"I agree with my brother," Axl said, his hand on his father's shoulder. "So…"

"Yes, my children," he said with a nod. "Let's go in."

=0=

They entered the ample corridor and the gates closed behind them immediately, trapping them in darkness. Splash Woman reached up, preparing to use the light behind her helmet's crystal but in the end she didn't have to. The lights above them turned on, letting them see the hallway kept going until it elbowed left.

"Well, it seems the Citadel's power generators are still operational," X said. "I'm detecting several robots around us, too. Most of them are not presently active, however."

"One of them is approaching," Axl announced. "But I can't interface with it."

"It's a Bunby Heli," Splash Woman explained. "A surveillance robot from my time. The closest thing you have now are those ugly Jamminger mechaniloids."

"Well, no wonder we can't interact with it," Alia said. "Can you ask it to give us directions or something, splash Woman?"

"I'm trying, but it doesn't listen to my commands," the mermaid frowned. "This is strange."

"Is it hostile?" Nina asked, standing protectively in front of her son.

"No, it's not hostile," Splash Woman assured, her hands on her helmet as she concentrated on trying to control the approaching machine. "But it keeps resisting me, I can't control it."

"Well, I guess we're about to learn why," Viktor said as he pointed to the little machine that flew towards them. "It's here now."

The Bunby Heli, a surveillance robot shaped like a dome with big eyes, flew in their direction until it was in front of them, its propeller emitting almost no sound as it carried the little robot with mechanical precision.

"It looks like it's got big teeth!" Mikhail observed with a laugh. "Robots back then were really funny looking!"

The Bunby Heli flew a little higher, and then it did something that surprised even Splash Woman.

It projected a hologram from its two big eyes.

"Well, this is new," the mermaid said. "I guess someone adapted a holo-projector to it."

The hologram was that of a beautiful blonde woman in her mid-thirties. She wore a red coat and stood elegantly, calmly staring at the camera. The woman smiled and the spoke:

[ _Welcome to the Cossack Citadel, I am Kalinka Cossack._ ]

[ _If you are here then it means you are a member of the Cossack family, and according to the readings in the main computer, you, my descendant, are not here alone. Project X is with you._ ]

[ _That you and Project X are here together is the only reason why you are watching this hologram._ ]

Kalinka chuckled, then composed herself and continued.

[ _I recorded two other holograms, one in case you are alone and another in case Project X came on his own; they are similar, so you won't be missing much. I imagine you are here looking for answers, there is no other reason why Project X would be here._ ]

[ _You will find the answers you seek here, Project X. I only hope that you are ready for them. As for you, my descendant, in this Castle you will find the legacy of our family. My father's final robot is resting here, I am confident you will be able to finally complete it._ ]

[ _Follow this Bunby Heli, it will take you to the guardians of this Citadel, they will be glad to assist you as much as they can. They are loyal, and will serve you well, my descendant. Please look after them, for they are also a gift, from us, to you._ ]

The hologram vanished, and the little flying robot started going back, deep into the hallway. Still a little shocked by the message they had just listened, the group started following it.

"That was great-grandma, right?" Mikhail asked his father. "She was a very pretty lady."

"Yes, she was," Viktor said. "And yes, she was very pretty."

"Is it true her groom died in an accident two days before they married?" Axl asked, wanting to confirm if his research about his family was correct.

"Yes, she was also already pregnant at the time," Nina answered. "She named her son Thomas Cossack, and devoted herself to him."

"She named him after our father," X said, smiling at Splash Woman.

"Hey, dad…" Axl called. "Kalinka did say something about the old doctor Cossack's final robot, and she also mentioned the guardians of this place, do you think that means…"

"Yes, there's a chance that we'll meet some of them."

"Heh… I can't wait!" Axl exclaimed, so excited that he could not walk straight.

"Calm down," Pallette advised. "You'll overheat."

"I can't calm down, Pally!"

=0=

The Bunby Heli led the group to a small room with tall pillars on each corner and then flew up, vanishing from sight once everyone was inside. The room was well illuminated, and there were paintings on each of the four walls; the one in front was a picture of Doctor Mikhail Sergeyevich Cossack and his daughter, Kalinka Cossack. The one to the left showed a beautiful, elegant woman holding a blonde baby girl, obviously a portrait of Kalinka's mother. The one on the right was that of Kalinka Cossack holding a baby boy. The last painting was of Doctor Cossack and Doctor Light sitting inside a lab, both of them enjoying a cup of coffee, a pair of lit cigarettes in an ashtray behind them.

The paintings held the group's attention only for an instant, however, for the door in front of them opened, leading them into a bigger room. This one was full of computers and other machines, the most important of them all obviously being the three robot capsules at the other end. An artificial voice coming from one of the computers spoke then, announcing this:

[ _All systems online. Initiating reactivation process of DCN-028, DCN-029 and DCN-032._ ]

The capsules opened slowly, releasing a cloud of smoke as their occupants stepped out.

"Greetings, Master Cossack," one of them said. "We welcome you and your guests to the Citadel."

"This is so effing cool!" Axl screamed, much to Pallette's dismay.

"Calm down, Axl," she insisted.

"I told you I can't!" he repeated, completely starstruck.

Because In front of them stood three of the original Cossackbots. The one to the left appeared to be nimble, and wore orange armor. The one to the right was slightly bulkier, and resembled a skeleton. Finally, standing in the middle was a tall, regal looking robot in white and yellow armor who wore an elaborate headpiece.

"Ring Man, Skull Man and Pharaoh Man!" Splash Woman exclaimed, her voice betraying how happy she was to see other Robot Masters. "You survived the war!"

"Splash Woman?" Ring Man asked, confused. "We…"

"We heard you were destroyed," Skull Man completed.

"Nevertheless, it is fortunate to meet you again," Pharaoh Man said. "However, our main concern at the moment is to learn how we can best serve the current heir of the Cossack household."

"Well in that case…" Viktor started, taking one step forward.

=0=

Notes:

The Bunby Heli and the Telly are both common enemies from the classic Mega Man games.

And of course we have some Cossackbots now. I must admit I really like these three, Pharaoh Man in particular is my favorite from Mega Man 4, with Ring Man and Skull Man being very close.

The first arc of the second season ends here, and we begin a new one next chapter. We'll be seeing some important revelations about the past soon, too.

Thanks for reading!


End file.
